FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – The man who allegedly robbed Fargo landscaping workers on September 8 is now facing more criminal charges for a robbery that occurred the previous night.
According to court documents, police were called to a reported garage burglary, with the callers saying their Ford Explorer had been stolen. A purse belonging to one of the victims was also left in the vehicle.
The callers provided video footage that showed a vehicle pulling into their driveway just before midnight on September 7. The driver, later identified as Nathaniel Smith, got out of the vehicle and entered the garage before re-emerging with what appeared to be a purse in his arms before driving away.
Just minutes later, Smith comes back, this time on foot. The video reportedly shows Smith run from across the street and into the garage. He then backs the Explorer out of the garage and drives away.
One of the victims reported that her credit/debit cards were used from her purse, with two charges at McDonald’s totalling $27.52, a $61.91 charge at Taco Bell, and an attempted Cashapp charge that was declined.
Smith was pulled over by Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner on September 8 when he was seen driving yet another stolen vehicle (a Chevy Silverado reported stolen out of Mapleton, which he was driving on the video footage in the garage theft). When he attempted to detain the two people in the vehicle, Smith reportedly fled on foot.
The passenger in the car, Ronald Wilson, was arrested for an unrelated warrant out of Clay County, Minnesota. Wilson identified the driver as “Nate”. The key fob for the stolen Ford Explorer and Target Credit Cards belonging to the victims were found on the ground, likely dropped by Smith as he fled. They also found a piece of mail with one of the victim’s names on it.
Smith was located and arrested on September 11. He is charged with three counts of theft for items worth between $10,000 and $50,000, a count of criminal trespass, and another count of theft for under $500.
In total, Smith now has four open felony cases in Cass County court with charges ranging from terrorizing to robbery, theft, and burglary.
