A St. Paul man is accused of burglarizing more than 80 restaurants and coffee shops across the Twin Cities in a crime spree that targeted a laundry list of establishments in the east metro.
Deondre Ramon Cush, 35, was charged via warrant with 17 counts of burglary in Ramsey County District Court after authorities used his cellphone records and other investigatory tools to pin him to the crimes, according to a 28-page criminal complaint filed against him this week.
The spree detailed in the charging document dates back to August 2018, when Cush allegedly used a brick to smash through the front glass door of Cafe Cravings in White Bear Lake and stole $150 in cash hidden on a shelf.
His St. Paul targets include Coffee Bene, Spy House, Finnish Bistro, Caribou Coffee, Colossal Cafe, Izzy’s Ice Cream, Mucci’s Italian Restaurant, the Nook, J Selby, the Naughty Greek, Tavial Grill and several others, the complaint said.
He also burglarized businesses in West St. Paul, North St. Paul, New Brighton, Mendota Heights, Edina, Bloomington, Anoka, Minneapolis, Mounds View, Richfield, Roseville and Little Canada, charges say.
In most cases, Cush used a brick, rock or other tool to smash through an establishment’s glass doors or windows before stealing contents inside.
He made off with $1,000 from a cash register at El Sombrero Mexican restaurant in Little Canada, for example, and $3,000 from El Tajaban Mexican Restaurant in Richfield, the complaint said.
At Sakana Sushi and Asian Bistro in St. Paul, he’s accused of stealing $2,500 worth of food and $1,500 worth of liquor in addition to $800 cash.
Authorities caught up to Cush on April 11, when police received reports of burglaries at Coldfront Coffee and Ice Cream, Joe and Stan’s Pub and Bay Street Grill in the same hour, the complaint said.
Police responding to the burglary at Bay Street saw a GMC Terrain SUV leaving the area and pursued it.
They saw the driver toss a pair of gloves from the vehicle before the vehicle pulled over and Cush was arrested, charges say.
His cellphone was seized at that time.
Cush reportedly declined to discuss his arrest with police and was charged with second-degree burglary. He pleaded guilty to the charge after posting bail and is scheduled to be sentenced in that case in December.
The next month, Cush’s crime spree allegedly picked back up, with his most recent suspected burglary taking place Oct. 26, according to the charges.
He is not yet in custody.
Cush’s criminal record includes aiding and abetting murder in the 2008 fatal shooting of 20-year-old Antonio Sims in St. Paul, as well as felony-level stalking, fifth-degree assault, third-degree burglary, fifth-degree drug possession and theft.