Sentence of 13 Years for Man Convicted of Robbing Osborne Road Store

Steven Eugene Daniels of Fridley had pleaded guilty to holding up Discount Tobacco and Groceries.

A federal judge sentenced Steven Eugene Daniels of Fridley to 160 months in prison Monday for the June 14, 2012 armed robbery of Discount Tobacco and Groceries, 315 Osborne Rd. NE, Fridley. Daniels was convicted of one count of interference with commerce by robbery, according to a statement from the office of the U.S. Attorney for Minnesota. As part of a plea deal, Daniels admitted he accompanied another man he knew only as "Joker" to rob the store, and that "Joker" was armed. Daniels took money from the till and both fled, leading to an unsuccessful overnight search for the accomplice. Related:

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Why Keep Police Radio Public?

During the manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombers, police had to plead with the public and reporters not to repeat all they heard over police scanners.

(Leave a comment below) That question came to a head in Watertown, MA after the bombing at the Boston Marathon, as thousands of people tuned into Boston police scanner chatter via Internet apps and spread information (and misinformation) on social media, creating hazards for law enforcement: The combination of large numbers of laypersons listening to these conversations—and then broadcasting their interpretation of the communications instantly on Twitter—can be dangerous to police work ... It raises the risk for police that they'll be ambushed if the people they're pursuing gain access to their communications. There's also the risk that people could congregate at crime scene locations, or even deputize themselves and get involved in police…

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Fridley Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing Osborne Rd. Store in June

Police caught Steven Eugene Daniels after the armed robbery at Discount Tobacco and Groceries on June 14. His alleged accomplice escaped an overnight manhunt.

A Fridley man pled guilty in federal court Tuesday to robbing a store on Osborne Road last June. Steven Eugene Daniels faces as many as 20 years in prison under an agreement in which he entered a guilty plea on one count of interference with commerce by robbery. United States District Judge Joan N. Ericksen heard his plea and will sentence him at a future hearing. The June 14, 2012 robbery at Discount Tobacco and Groceries, 315 Osborne Rd. NE led to a massive but unsuccessful overnight search for Daniels' accomplice, who had a firearm according to Daniels' plea. Police arrested Daniels on 58th Avenue NE between Washington and Seventh in Fridley that night. He told police he knew his accomplice only as a man named "Joker" who "held him at …

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UPDATED: Midnight Search in Fridley Yields No Arrests

One possible suspect detained and released near 60th Ave. and Fifth St. NE.

Update (7 a.m. Sunday): Here are more details about events that led to a police search late Friday night and early Saturday morning in the area of 60th Avenue NE and Fifth Street NE, Fridley. Neighbor Brian Onkst said he had stepped outside to smoke around 11:30 p.m. Friday when he saw a man walk between the back fence and around a vacant house in the 6000 block of Fifth Street NE. Knowing no one was home, Onkst used his cell phone to call the homeowner and ask if he was expecting visitors. (No, call the police, the homeowner said.) Onkst went inside his own home to call the Fridley Police Department. When Onkst returned outside, he said, the suspect was sitting on the steps of the neighbor's house. As police arrived, the suspect fled on …

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UPDATED: Unlocked Door Was Access in Fridley Home Invasion, Police Say

Authorities believe suspect or suspects took laptop, vehicle from residence in 5900 block of Main Street NE.

Update (5:15 p.m. Wednesday): Why didn't the Minnesota State Patrol help search for the suspect or suspects in the Fridley home invasion that police say happened early this morning on Main Street NE? The State Patrol chopper was a big part of a search for store-robbery suspects last month in the neighborhood near Medtronic's headquarters. The answer, from Sgt. Curtis S. Mowers, State Patrol spokesperson: I was told that the request came in and the pilot could not respond due to weather related conditions, or they would have responded.  They do not know who said the word “busy” but that was not the case.  This information came directly from our flight section. Indeed, powerful storms were sweeping across the area in the wee hours of …

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Charges: Armed-robbery Driver Says 'Joker' Made Him Do It

He claims gunman ordered him to help rob Osborne Rd. store, according to the criminal complaint.

The man charged with armed robbery of an Osborne Road store June 14 said he did it because his accomplice, who he knows only as "Joker," also threatened him with the gun. That's according to the criminal complaint Anoka County prosecutors filed against Steven Eugene Daniels, 45, of Minneapolis. Daniels faces two counts: Authorities arrested Daniels after stopping the car he was driving a second time in Fridley within minutes of the alleged holdup. (The car drove off after deputies pulled it over the first time on Highway 65, according to the Anoka County Sheriff's Office.) The other man got away—despite a massive manhunt with K-9 search teams and a State Patrol helicopter that lasted more than three hours and involved the State Patrol, …

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(UPDATED) FRIDLEY MANHUNT: One Hold-up Suspect Caught, One at Large

Store owner said armed robbers took cash, iPad; no one hurt.

Update (2:35 p.m. Friday): After the armed robbery of the Tobacco and Grocery store on Osborne Road Thursday evening, at least six law enforcement agencies came together in the manhunt that led to the arrest of one of the two suspects. The Anoka County Sheriff’s office, already in the area for a Columbia Heights traffic enforcement detail, took the lead in the case, and police officers from Columbia Heights, Spring Lake Park, Coon Rapids and Blaine assisted with monitoring the perimeter of the manhunt, according to Fridley Police Captain Bob Rewitzer. A State Patrol helicopter searched the area for an hour-and-a-half but did not assist in locating the suspect, who is now in police custody. Update (10:30 a.m. Friday): After what the owner …

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