Lakeville Lobster Tail Larceny Leads to Drug Discovery, Felony Charges

One Lakeville man could pay an unusually high price for a surf and turf dinner: Jail time.

Kevin Leigh Polski, 25, faces one felony charge for fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance, wich carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He also has been charged with one count of misdemeanor theft after an incident on Sept. 24, 2011.

According to the criminal complaint against Polski, that day Lakeville police were called to a theft in progress at a grocery store. Polski was well-known to the staff there for previous thefts in the store. He was observed on video surveillance putting meat items, lobster tails and produce into his basket. Then he was seen leaving the store without making any attempt to pay.

An undercover police officer happened to be in the parking lot at the time. The officer saw Polski exit the store with the basket, glance at a marked squad car in the area, then jog towards a vehicle in the parking lot, looking back and forth suspiciously. The plainclothes cop pulled up next to Polski and ordered him to set down the basket. As he was placed under arrest Polski kept saying, "Oh no, I am so stupid," and "I shouldn't have done this."

During a pat down, the officer found a six-inch straw-type object in Polski's front right pocket, which appeared to be a pen with the tip and ink tube removed. Such improvised devices are sometimes used to snort or smoke drugs. The officer also noted a piece of tin foil with a burn mark, which was laying in plain view on the driver's side floor board of Polski's vehicle. Another scrap of foil was found under the passenger seat. The items were tested by the St. Paul Crime Lab, which determined that the scraps harbored trace amounts of cocaine and heroin.

The total value of the items in Polski's basket cost $123.19.

The case is rather old, but has not progressed quickly, perhaps due to Polski's frequent disappearances. Since the complaint was filed in January of 2012, Polski has been the subject of at least two warrants for his arrest, the most recent of which was issued on Jan. 22, 2013. He was taken into custody this Tuesday, but has since been released.

A plea hearing has been scheduled for May 28.