Suspected Burglars Caught After Passing Out in Car

Two men found unconscious in their vehicle Sunday are suspected of breaking into a Meadowbrook Road garage in Hopkins and vehicles in the area that same morning.

Jonathon Matthew Gill, 18, of Minnetonka, and Kai Edward Gerhardson, 19, of St. Louis Park, face felony charges of receiving stolen property, which carries a penalty of as much as five years in jail and a $10,000 fine.

Gerhardson was released from jail without bail Tuesday. Gill was released from jail on $5,000 bail the same day.

An unidentified neighbor told police he found the men at 8:45 a.m. slumped inside their Hyundai Sonata while it was still running near the intersection of Meadowbrook and Goodrich Street, Police Sgt. Kristine Smith wrote in the charging documents. When they didn’t respond to horn honks, the man broke a back window with an ax to help them.

The neighbor told police that Gerhardson awoke and shouted, “Drive,” to the still-unresponsive driver, according to the charging documents.

The neighbor ordered them not to drive away. As he stepped away from the car, he noticed the trunk was open. He immediately noticed a $3,200 Santa Cruz mountain bike and a set of Tiger Shark golf clubs that he kept inside his attached garage.

Investigators think the men broke into a property on the 200 block of Meadowbrook that same morning, in addition to stealing miscellaneous items from vehicles, Police Sgt. Michael Glassberg said.

They are also suspected of being under the influence of narcotics, he said. Police are still awaiting blood work.