St. Paul Park man cited, arrested and stopped by police multiple times in five days

A St. Paul Park man allegedly asked children to smoke crack with him, stole a guitar, twice entered people’s homes without permission and had another police confrontation — all within five days.

The string of police run-ins started July 30, when the man was with a woman who reportedly asked a group of girls at Heritage Park whether they wanted to smoke crack, according to a police report. The girls’ grandfather called police. The woman told police she was joking; officers told the man with her that it was a poor idea for him to hang around the park with children.

Two days later, on Aug. 1, police were called about 11:30 a.m. to Heritage Park. Summer park and recreation workers said a man approached them while they were with children and asked if the workers wanted to smoke crack with him, a police report said. The man, identified as 22-year-old Donald L. Highman Jr., was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct and obstruction of justice. He was booked and released from Washington County jail.

Police had three more run-ins with Highman on Aug. 3. The first came shortly after 6 a.m., when officers were called to a home in the 1600 block of Dayton Avenue. A woman said several items were missing from her home and she suspected Highman, who had been living with her. Police later found Highman allegedly in possession of the missing items, including a guitar and Jesus figurine. The woman told police she didn’t want to press charges, but Highman was prohibited from returning to the home.

Later that morning police were called to a home in the 1300 block of Gary Drive after the homeowner returned to find a man, identified by police as Highman, in the home without permission. Highman was cited for trespassing.

Shortly after 10 p.m. that night, a homeowner in the 1600 block of Lincoln Avenue called police to report that a man was acting suspicious and had asked to use his Internet connection and telephone. Police showed the man a picture of Highman, and the man said that was who had approached him.

About an hour later, a woman called police to report an unknown man was inside her Marshall Avenue home and was being detained by a man who lives at the home. When police arrived, they recognized the suspect as Highman, the report said.

An officer said in the police report that Highman appeared mentally unstable and a risk to public safety, so he was transported to Regions Hospital in St. Paul for an evaluation. He also was cited for trespassing at the Marshall Avenue home.

-Scott Wente

Tags: crime and courts, updates, crime