By Shawn Hogendorf, Staff Writer 

A 17-year-old Prior Lake boy was charged by the Scott County Attorney’s Office in association with a burglary and assault of a 74-year-old Prior Lake woman in the 16900 block of Lyons Avenue around 2:32 a.m. on April 27.

The boy was charged with one count of first-degree burglary with assault and one count of third-degree assault, causing substantial bodily harm, both counts are felonies.

The boy was charged as a minor, but Lori Lambrecht the Scott County Attorney’s Office manager said the attorney’s office has filed a motion to try the boy as an adult.

The other person police arrested, an 18-year-old Prior Lake man, has not yet been charged.

Avis Johnson, 74, was awoken by a disturbance in her bedroom around 2:25 a.m. when she saw a boy digging around in her dresser drawers.

Johnson told the boy “to get the hell out of there,” however the boy didn’t leave. Instead he went over to Johnson, as she lay in bed, and punched her in the face three times with a closed fist before running out of her bedroom.

When police arrived, Johnson was scared and heavily bleeding from a laceration above her left eye, according to the criminal complaint.

Johnson was transported to St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Shakopee where she was treated for her injuries and later released.

According to the criminal complaint:

Police found a lower-level door ajar in Johnson’s home, which Johnson said she never uses and was locked along with possible blood smears on the door and signs that the lock on the door had been tampered with.

Carver County deputies then arrived with a K-9 partner to assist Prior Lake police in the investigation.

The K-9 tracked a scent found in Johnson’s home from the walk-out door along a paved trail through Ponds Park, which crossed over Wilderness Trail into Deerfield Park.

Near the pavilion of Deerfield Park, the K-9 went to a garbage can where officers located a white bandana with black markings, matching the description Johnson gave police of the person who burglarized and assaulted her, lying on top of the garbage. The bandana was the only item in the garbage can that didn’t have frost on it.

The K-9 continued to follow the trail until it was lost near the intersection of Fish Point Road and Fawn Meadow Curve.

On April 25, police responded to a call for a loud party in the 17300 block of Lilac Lane.

When police knocked on the door, the 17-year-old boy who was charged was among those who answered the door.

The boys told police no one else was at the house and agreed to keep the noise down, but police noticed a purse and girl’s shoes and asked the others at the house to come downstairs.

While interviewing the people at the house party, police noticed the 17-year-old boy wearing a white bandana that matched the later-found bandana in the garbage can.

At about 4:46 p.m. on April 27, police responded to a domestic assault in the area of Lilac Lane and Wilderness Trail.

Officers knocked on the door and the 17-year-old boy answered. Police noticed a white towel full of what appeared to be blood and a knife sitting on the coffee table. Police entered the house and arrested several people for minor consumption of alcohol. Police also found several guns in the house.

On April 28, police spoke with a witness near the home where the loud party and domestic assault were reported. Witnesses told police there was a lot of noise and activity at the house in the last couple days. Witnesses also told police they heard a fight inside the house and several people had been coming and going all week long.

Police executed a search warrant and found a brown-colored jacket matching the description Johnson had given of the person involved with the assault and burglary; black leather gloves with what appeared to be blood stains; black running pants matching the description of the pants the boy was wearing; and a white Reebok handbag.

Johnson later identified the white handbag as hers as she stated there was a black tag she left on the bag that was still there.

When interviewed, the boys said they brought liquor and a 12-pack of Michelob Golden Light to the house for a party. But Johnson said told police she had a 12-pack of Michelob Golden Light in her refrigerator that was missing.

When police interviewed the 17-year-old boy, they noticed a swollen right hand with minor cuts. The boy denied any involvement in the burglary and said his hand was swollen from a fight he was in earlier that evening.

The boy’s next court appearance has not yet been set. The Scott County Attorney’s Office is awaiting a study to determine if the boy will be tried as an adult.

Look for more on this case later in the week online and in the May 10 edition of the Prior Lake American.

 Shawn Hogendorf can be reached at (952) 345-6374 or shogendorf@swpub.com.