Serial Burglar Arrested In Coon Rapids

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A man suspected of breaking into at least 50 homes is back behind bars.

Police say the break-ins occurred in several communities stretching from Blaine to Eden Prairie since this spring.

Officers arrested Brian Hudy Thursday night in Coon Rapids.

Police believe 38-year-old Hudy is responsible for more than 50 burglaries throughout the Twin Cities.

Since late spring homes in at least four cities, from Eden Prairie to Coon Rapids, were targeted by the serial burglar.

Patrol officers in Blaine were the first to put together a pattern.

"He was driving around and opened garage doors and entering people's houses that way," said Lt. Dan Pelkey of the Blaine Police Department.

Pelkey says Hudy was also looking for unlocked cars and grabbing the garage remote to use to get into homes.

The majority of the burglaries happened while families were inside sleeping.

"Most people didn't even know that they had had someone in their house. They'd wake up the next morning and they weren't able to find some of their belongings" Pelkey said.

At least 16 garages were burglarized in Blaine. Investigators wasted no time looking for law enforcement partners to help solve these crimes.

"Our investigators recognized that this probably didn't end at the borders of Blaine. So we started to put out some interagency communications and we determined there were probably some other cities throughout the metro that were involved," Pelkey said.

A mini task force was formed.

Their big break came Wednesday night, when a suspect was caught on a home surveillance camera,

According to the criminal complaint, the man was videotaped wearing a gray t-shirt with the word Norton on it.

Soon after, investigators were able to put a name with a face.

"They were doing surveillance on him and fortunately they were able to catch him. He had just committed several and they were able to apprehend him shortly thereafter," Pelkey said.

Hudy was caught in a Coon Rapids neighborhood.

The criminal complaint says he has hit several houses there and was caught wearing the same shirt he was caught on camera wearing the night before.

Hudy has multiple criminal convictions including one for first degree burglary in Hennepin County.

If convicted on his most recent charge of felony burglary he could face up to 20 years behind bars.