Alleged HL-O school burglar apprehended

HERON LAKE — Police arrested a man Dec. 3 after recognizing him during a traffic stop.

A Jackson County deputy sheriff pulled over Parker Kolander, 21, of Jackson for a traffic violation, and Kolander appeared excessively nervous during the stop. When Kolander retrieved his driver's license from his wallet, the deputy noticed that the wallet contained a large amount of cash. He also knew that the Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary School had recently been burglarized and a large amount of cash had been stolen, and that Kolander was a suspect.

The deputy asked for consent to search the vehicle, and Kolander said no. Also contacted was the registered owner of the vehicle, who also denied consent to search. Kolander allegedly repeatedly stated that there was nothing illegal in the car and that if there was, it wasn't his.

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The deputy asked Kolander to exit the vehicle so a K9 officer could conduct an exterior sniff. As Kolander was getting out, the deputy saw that Kolander was wearing the same kind of shirt that can be seen in the security footage of the school break-in.

The K9 alerted on the vehicle, so the deputy conducted an interior search, and found a large knife and a checkbook from the HL-O petty cash fund. When the deputy placed Kolander under arrest, Kolander allegedly accused the deputy of planting the checkbook in the car. He then stated that the car's registered owner had agreed to take the blame.

A total of $89 cash was found in Kolander's wallet.

He was charged with third-degree burglary, a felony that carries a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. If convicted, Kolander will be sentenced based on criminal history.

He is being held in Jackson County Jail on bail set at $10,000 with conditions or $30,000 without.