Arrest Made in Book Thefts
Using Multiple Cards
A Minnesota man suspected of using patrons’ names to get fraudulent library cards was charged with felony theft February 7 after a search of his home produced hundreds of books from 14 libraries in and around Minneapolis and St. Paul. John G. Minea, 36, of Maplewood, was arrested following a search yielding 832 books worth $13,395, according to the Associated Press. A Ramsey County library worker helped finger the man by noting his license plate number after realizing he had used multiple names to check out materials.
“We took out three pickup truck loads of books; things were in disarray and in piles,” Ramsey County Sheriff’s investigator Todd Thompson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Deputies discovered books stacked to the ceiling in their January 11 search of Minea’s mobile home. “Anywhere he could stick them, they were there,” Thompson said.
Minea allegedly searched though trash containers to find bills or letters with the names and addresses of local residents to present as identification to obtain a library card. In this way he checked out books from libraries in Ramsey, Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Scott, and Washington counties, as well as Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Ramsey County Library Director Alice Jo Carlson told American Libraries that the library does not currently require a photo ID to obtain a library card, but is now considering such a policy.
Posted February 12, 2001.
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