A 29-year-old Albert Lea man has been charged with burglary in the third degree, fleeing an officer in a motor vehicle and theft after Albert Lea police arrested him on suspicion of breaking into Northstar Powersports & Marine last Friday.

Brandon Stanley Johnson, of 119 Morningside Road, was arrested Friday morning. An Albert Lea police officer first noticed something amiss at Northstar, 2120 Consul St., around 3:30 a.m. Friday.

A 2008 Yamaha Nytro was missing from a line of snowmobiles at the store, which the officers estimate is worth about $4,000. Another snowmobile, a 2007 Yamaha Apex, was found crashed into a fence on the property, according to court documents.

Officers also found a broken window to the building. Spy brand sunglasses were missing, and a cash drawer had been emptied of paper money with change still remaining.

Officers could hear a snowmobile running and attempted to locate it. They found the suspect driving a snowmobile on Albert Lea Lake and attempted to cut the snowmobile off when the driver fled, striking a mailbox.

Around 6:30 a.m. the stolen snowmobile was found abandoned near 1019 Neale St. Officers tracked a single set of footprints to 119 Morningside Road. Johnson was arrested on unrelated warrants.

A search warrant was obtained and a search was done of the residence where officials found sunglasses, valued at around $600 total, matching those that were missing from Northstar and $120 in cash, along with a jacket that matched the description of the one officers had seen the snowmobile driver wearing.

Investigators believe he traveled to Northstar on a bicycle.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office and Albert Lea Fire Department assisted.

The penalty in the burglary charge could be five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, the penalty in the fleeing charge could be three years in prison and a $5,000 fine and the theft charge penalty could be five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.