A Cambridge Township resident recently charged with six felony charges after allegedly being in the possession of stolen property is facing five new felony charges.
Jason Edward Southworth, 42, was charged before Judge James Dehn Nov. 17 in Isanti County District Court in Cambridge with five felony counts of receiving stolen property and felony fifth-degree drug possession.
Southworth again appeared before Dehn Dec. 9 to face five new felony charges of receiving stolen property. Dehn set Southworth’s bail at $100,000 without conditions or $50,000 with conditions and his next court appearance for Dec. 23.
The case broke Nov. 15 after a female called 911 to ask if an officer could meet her at a storage locker, registered to Southworth, so she could collect some of her personal belongings.
The female said after she had unloaded much of property into her vehicle, she and Southworth started to argue over the phone and she requested an officer present while she collected her remaining items.
When the female opened a storage container, Deputy Doug Barron recognized one of the items inside as reported stolen from a recent residential burglary.
The case involved stolen property from a construction trailer in Isanti Township, a residential burglary in Cambridge, a residential burglary in Bradford Township and theft from a motor vehicle parked at the Lake Fannie public access east of Cambridge.
The new charges filed against Southworth involve the possession of five firearms stolen in a residential burglary in Bradford Township on Sept. 29 and a residential burglary in Cambridge on Oct. 6.
According to the criminal complaint:
On Dec. 8, at 7 p.m., Deputy Chad Meyer was dispatched to a call regarding stolen firearms. Meyer spoke with the caller who reported he saw an article in the local newspaper about Southworth being arrested in connection with stolen property. The caller reported he recently purchased five firearms from Southworth and he believes they may be stolen. Meyer requested the caller bring the five firearms to the Isanti County Sheriff’s Office. Shortly thereafter, the caller arrived with the five firearms.
The caller reported on Nov. 12, he left a message for Southworth asking him if he wanted to go hunting. Southworth called back and said he didn’t want to go hunting; however, he had guns for sale because he needed to make first and last month rent payments.
On Nov. 12, the caller met Southworth at Southworth’s storage locker at Summit Secure Storage, 1442 277th Lane NE, Isanti. The caller reported Southworth produced approximately eight guns from his storage locker. The caller selected five firearms and negotiated a purchase price of $1,700 for all five firearms. The caller requested a bill of sale for the firearms, and Southworth provided a hand-written bill of sale for the five firearms.
Meyer and Investigator Rob Bowker confirmed two of the firearms were stolen in a residential burglary in Bradford Township on Sept. 29, and three of the firearms were stolen during a residential burglary in Cambridge on Oct. 6.