A 43-year-old man accused of breaking into the Uptown Target in late January and setting a small fire has agreed to plead guilty.
Burnsville man accused of breaking into Uptown Target, setting small fire pleads guilty
Police arrived at the intersection and saw Derrick Hansen standing nearby and watching firefighters tend to the flames, according to prosecutors.
March 8, 2023 at 2:24PM
Derrick P. Hansen, of Burnsville, admitted Tuesday to a felony burglary count in Hennepin County District Court in connection with the incident about 3:40 a.m. on Jan. 24 at the Target Express on the corner of W. Lake Street and S. Fremont Avenue. Police arrested Hansen arrested at the scene.
The agreement between Hansen and prosecutors for him to plead guilty to burglary includes dismissal of the arson count, three years of probation and to undergo mental and chemical health assessments. Hansen remains jailed ahead of sentencing on March 31.
According to the charges:
Police arrived at the intersection and saw Hansen standing nearby and watching firefighters tend to the small blaze. Officers arrested him immediately across the street.
Surveillance video showed Hansen using a trash can lid to break the store's glass doors and then going in and out of the retailer several times before starting the fire using garbage cans from inside the store. Hansen then collected items and threw them into the growing fire.
Hansen told police he broke into the store and started the blaze because "he was having family problems and was trying to let his frustration out," the charges read.
Hansen is also charged in Cass County District Court in North Dakota with felony reckless endangerment and two misdemeanors — driving under the influence of drugs and criminal mischief — on accusations that he shot a BB gun at passing vehicles on Interstate 94 near Mapleton, N.D., on Dec. 28. One of the drivers who was targeted reported a hole in one of their van's windows.
Law enforcement recovered a .177-caliber CO2 pistol suspected of being the weapon involved in the incident.
Hansen was released from the Cass County jail without posting bail and agreeing to enroll in a drug treatment program.
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