Pierce County,Wisconsin authorities have announced the arrest of two men from Dakota County on charges they committed burglary and felony criminal property damage to a Hager City Bar. The event allegedly took place on Monday night, February6th. Mark A. Smith, age 30, of Hastings and Robert S. Huber, age 31 of Lakeville reportedly targeted poker pull tab machines located in the Bluffs Bar and Grill. The early morning incident was captured on security cameras outside the establishment beginning at 3:43 am and lasting just 6 minutes. During that time the suspects are accused of entering the bar by breaking a window, using spray paint to obscure the view of interior security cameras, using tools to break into 5 gambling machines and removing an estimated $2,000 before exiting the bar. The machines were valued at $5,000 each and all received damage as well as that done to the window used for their entrance. In further developments, Pierce County detectives connected a vehicle matching the description of the car seen on surveillance that had been located in Hastings. That vehicle was registered to Smith. Smith was then arrested on charges involving drugs and the possession of a falsified Identification Card that used Smith’s photo paired with the name and address of a Red Wing resident. The complaint continues citing potential additional charges for crimes taking place earlier in the year in Pierce County, Wisconsin and Dakota and Goodhue Counties in Minnesota. A search warrant was executed on Smith’s phone resulting in the recovery of a text message thread between himself and Huber over several days indicating the planning for the February 6th burglary. Smith’s car was also searched where some of the stolen checks were discovered as well as receipts for more than 3,000 dollars in purchases of power tools and other items from a local Home Depot Store. More information will be coming from the Pierce County Prosecutor.
