Alleged Robber to Victim: 'Thanks For Your Cooperation'

A 26-year-old Inver Grove Heights man is in custody on a first-degree aggravated robbery charge after police say he and a second suspect threatened two IGH teens with a gun and then stole their iPod.

According to an Apr. 17 criminal complaint, Troy Anderson and an unnamed, Hispanic accomplice came across the two minors while walking through a local park.

Anderson allegedly asked the 15-year-old boy to use his mobile phone and, once in possession of the boy's phone, rifled through his pockets and took an iPod.

Upon protests from the boy, the unnamed accomplice pulled up his shirt to reveal a gun in his waistband and told the boy, "Don't give my brother any trouble." 

Anderson then grabbed the boy's wallet and proceeded to check it for cash, the complaint says. When he found none, Anderson allegedly returned the wallet to the boy. 

Anderson and the Hispanic suspect reportedly thanked the teens for their cooperation before walking off with the boy's iPod. 

The complaint says IGH police apprehended the men exiting the park but, while waiting for backup, the man Anderson called "Jeremy" jumped up and ran away from the scene. 

In a post-arrest interview, Anderson denied knowing Jeremy and also denied taking anything from the pockets of the 15-year-old boy. 

Witness statements contradicted Anderson's account, the complaint says. 

Anderson is scheduled to appear at an omnibus hearing on May 5 at 9 a.m. at the Dakota County Courthouse. The maximum sentence for the crime with which he is charged is 20 years in prison and a $35,000 fine.