A New Hope man has been charged with assault and robbery after authorities say he pepper-sprayed an employee at a violin store in St. Paul earlier this fall and made off with four of the shop’s high-end instruments.
Quin Lane Howell, 29, walked into Fein Violin on the 1800 block of Grand Avenue shortly after 1 p.m. Sept. 19 and told the juvenile female employee he wanted to purchase a high-quality violin made of maple wood for his grandparents, according to a criminal complaint in Ramsey County District Court.
Howell was mostly interested in “high-priced violins,” and, per the store’s practice, was eventually taken to a backroom to examine four of the instruments on a cloth-covered table, reportedly to compare each violin’s varnish, the complaint said.
Collectively, the instruments were worth more than $40,000.
At some point, Howell asked the young employee if she played violin, but before she could respond, Howell whipped out a can of chemical irritant and sprayed it in her eyes twice, “rendering her completely unable to see” authorities say.
Then Howell grabbed the violins and their cases and took off, the complaint said.
The employee rushed to rinse out her eyes and then called 911.
When an officer arrived, the employee was shaking from pain and fear, the complaint said.
Officers connected Howell to the robbery after three of his probation officers and a St. Paul police sergeant identified him as the man caught on Fein Violin’s surveillance camera, the complaint said.
Howell’s criminal record includes three convictions for felony-level theft and two for fraudulently claiming state lottery prizes, court records say.
He was charged with third-degree assault, simple robbery and theft in the most recent case.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 10. His public defender could not be reached for comment.
At least one of the violins was recovered a few hours after the theft when it was brought to a St. Paul music store for potential sale. But police say the would-be seller left the instrument behind. It was undamaged.