Crime & Safety

Inver Grove Heights Man Sentenced for Robbery Involving Battle Ax

Randy Allen Knight, 31, will serve 49 months in prison for his role in the December burglary.

A 31-year-old Inver Grove Heights man was sentenced on Tuesday to 49 months in prison after pleading guilty to felony second-degree burglary.

Randy Allen Knight was one of two men charged in December in connection with a robbery at an Inver Grove Heights home involving a battle ax and sword. Knight and Jacob Robert Anhalt, 22, each faced two counts of first-degree burglary, one count of first-degree aggravated robbery and one count of theft of a motor vehicle for their alleged roles in the robbery.

Anhalt, who knew the victim, visited the victim's house on Dec. 21, according to a criminal complaint issued in by the Dakota County Attorney's office. Shortly after the victim unlocked his back door to let Anhalt in, Knight and a third man, brandishing a metal battle ax and sword, used the same unlocked door to charge into the home, police said.

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After striking the victim in the head with the ax, Knight and the other man pinned him to the floor while Anhalt fled the home, police said. The two robbers demanded "valuables" from the victim and threatened the man before rummaging through the residence.

At one point, according to the criminal complaint, one of the robbers demanded valuables from the victim, saying: "I don't want to leave with a body part!"

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After stealing tools several rings and a cell phone from the victim, the men duct-taped the bleeding victim to a foosball table. The two stole a truck out of the victim's driveway and fled, police said.

Dakota County Attorney's office spokesperson Monica Jensen said the violent nature of the robbery and Knight's own criminal history led prosecutors to push for a lengthy sentence. Under Minnesota statutes, a person convicted on a single second-degree burglary charge could face a maximum of ten years in prison and a $20,000 fine. Knight, who has previous convictions for assault, theft and burglary, was given credit for 68 days already served. The rest of the charges against Knight were dismissed.

Anhalt's next court date is a plea hearing scheduled for March 25.

Police believe that two other individuals may have been involved in the robbery, although no additional charges have been filed in the case, according to Inver Grove Heights Police Department Lt. Larry Stanger.

"We still have two people of interest involved in this, and one of them would be the third person in the house,” Stanger said. “I do anticipate some other charges coming from this.”


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