Police: Convicted arsonist bailed out by nonprofit goes on tirade next day in Brooklyn Park Caribou

The man who torched a Salvation Army chapel last fall is now charged with committing a destructive rampage inside a Brooklyn Park coffee shop that employees and patrons running for cover, his latest alleged act of vandalism after cycling in and out of jail.

Jack D. Heinrich, 33, was charged Thursday in Hennepin County District Court with two felonies, burglary and property damage, over an outburst mid-afternoon Tuesday at the Caribou Coffee in the 9600 block of Colorado Lane.

This latest incident comes on top of three others in Brooklyn Park since last summer that Heinrich has been charged with: stomping on an American flag in July that he lowered from a highway overpass and then injuring an officer while resisting arrest, setting the Salvation Army fire in November, and vandalizing a brew house last month.

He was quickly arrested at the Caribou shop and remains jailed in lieu of $20,000 bail ahead of a court appearance Friday afternoon.

Heinrich, who is homeless and has a history of mental illness, also ventured in mid-January into Minneapolis, where he was charged and sentenced to probation on a misdemeanor theft count.

The judges who sentenced Heinrich for the arson and the brew house vandalism also chose probation for him and set aside any time in jail or the county workhouse. The only time he has served for any of his crimes was while in jail awaiting resolution of each case.

Heinrich's actions are "a major burden to our agency to constantly having to be dealing with the same individual over and over again with the same type of crime," said Police Inspector Elliot Faust, who added that his department is looking at whether Heinrich has committed other offenses in Brooklyn Park since last year.

Faust said the consequences of the vandalism at the coffee shop Tuesday are more than the $8,000 in damaged display cases and ceiling tiles, and shattered beverage glasses and coffee mugs.

According to the charges, "employees and patrons feared for their safety and locked themselves in the bathrooms. ... A store employee has been so traumatized by the incident that they will not be returning to work until next week."

Faust added that one person inside the coffee shop "thought it was an active shooter when they heard the glass breaking. ... They ran out of the store in terror. They thought they were going to die."

A similar but less chaotic incident occurred Feb. 1, according to police, when Heinrich went into MC's Tap House in the same cluster of retailers as the Caribou and smashed two windows with beer bottles.

Heinrich was arrested the next day, charged with felony property damage and remained jailed until Monday night, when the Minnesota Freedom Fund posted his $3,000 bail.

He showed up at the Caribou the next morning, but concerned staff kicked him out, only to have him return in the afternoon and inflict what officers on the scene said looked like "a tornado had blown through the store," the charges read.

Faust was disappointed to learn Thursday of the origin of Heinrich's bail money.

"Given his history and him being released and and reoffending, the Freedom Fund is not helping [with] these types of problems all all," the police inspector said.

He said judges set bail amounts to ensure a defendant won't reoffend and will attend court hearings as required.

Freedom Fund Director of Programs Jana Kooren declined to talk specifically about how Heinrich was chosen by the nonprofit for bail assistance. But she did list "people who are unhoused and are being targeted for their housing status" as one category that the fund prioritizes.

Asked about inmates who are chronic offenders, Kooren said, "We are not going to eliminate anyone based on their criminal history. ... The criminal legal system has already failed Mr. Heinrich. It's not us to blame; it's a systemic failure."

Heinrich has been been civilly committed twice since 2017 for court-ordered mental illness treatment. The latest charges note that he told police arresting him that "if he went to prison, he would have a place to live."