Rochester Area Man With 11 Felony Convictions Accused of Burglary

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Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A man who is well-known to Rochester area law enforcement agencies and the local judicial system due to his arrests and convictions for numerous burglaries and other crimes has been charged with a couple of recent construction site burglaries in Rochester.

31-year-old Matthew Steven Tlougan of Oronoco has been issued a summons to appear in court next month to face two counts of second-degree burglary and another felony charge of receiving stolen property. Court records show Tlougan already has 11 felony convictions for theft and drug offenses dating back to 2018. His most recent felony conviction was for damage to property connected to a burglary that resulted in a sentence of five years on probation.

According to the new criminal complaint, Tlougan is now accused of breaking into two construction sites and stealing tools. The thefts occurred at two properties in the 4900 block of Noble Drive Northwest in the early morning of December 30, 2023. Rochester police estimated the value of the stolen tools at around $6500.

The court document indicates one of the victims had set up a surveillance camera that recorded the burglar arriving at the scene in a Chevy Blazer shortly after 4:30 a.m. The man's face cannot be seen in the video but the SUV is distinctive with a black front wheel and a silver back wheel on the passenger side of the vehicle.

The Rochester Police Officer investigating the burglary was informed that a Blazer matching the description had been involved in a rollover crash around 6:30 on the morning of December 30 and the driver had left before an Olmsted County Sheriff's Deputy arrived at the scene. The criminal complaint also notes that a wallet containing nearly $6000 in cash and two identification cards for Matthew Tlougan were found in the crashed vehicle, along with a cell phone, a large amount of blood, and construction equipment matching the items stolen in the burglaries.

The court document indicates that Tlougan told investigators that his SUV had been stolen after he dropped the vehicle off at his father's home on the night of December 28th. He also stated that he had left his wallet in the SUV.

The evidence listed in the complaint includes a description of a video recorded from a surveillance camera video recorded at a Kwik Trip store a few hours before the burglary that shows Tlougan in the Blazer wearing clothing that matched the clothing worn by the suspect captured in the video recorded at the crime scene.

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