Man Charged with Possessing Drugs After Trying to Steal Dog Collar

A Minnetonka man has been charged with drug possession and theft after police say he was apprehended in a Lakeville store, attempting to steal a $170 dog collar.

Dovonta Aarmon Norman, 23, is charged with two felony counts of drug possession, each of which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He is also charged with a misdemeanor count of theft, which has a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, Lakeville police were called to a store on March 19 on a report of a theft in progress.

Loss prevention employees told police that Norman had walked out of the store without paying for the $170 dog collar. Police learned that Norman had an active warrant in Dakota County.

A subsequent search of Norman also turned up more than $1,000 in cash and five Suboxone pills, typically used for addiction to opioids, according to the complaint.

Police also found a hollowed-out pen with a brown substance inside. When officers searched Norman’s car, they found a plastic bag containing small balloons, which tested positive for cocaine and heroin.

Norman allegedly told police that he took the dog collar without paying for it because he saw that the box was open.