Eyewitnesses and Camera Footage Catch the Nail Bandit

by Ryan Honl

The Warroad Police Department apprehended Travis Howard Thompson of Warroad, age 31, over allegedly dumping nails on the streets of Warroad after an investigation that spanned over a year. He has been charged with Felony Damage to Property in the 1st Degree which has a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

According to the police report, several residents near Hallberg Street provided police with eyewitness reports and camera footage over an incident on March 30 of this year. Brand new roofing nails were found scattered on the street. One unnamed eyewitness started to record the street due to multiple previous incidents and captured a white SUV believed to be either a Dodge Durango or Chrysler Aspen. Other video footage showed a white SUV where the driver was throwing nails into the north lane of Hallberg Street. Dr. Mark Thiele, of Lake Family Dental, also provided clinic footage of the street from the night of March 30. It showed a white SUV exit Hallberg Street turning onto Highway 11. Doug's Supermarket also provided photos of a white Chrysler Aspen entering its parking lot at the time of the March 30 incident. The driver matched the appearance of Thompson.

Thompson, according to the report, owns a white Chrysler Aspen.

John Cole, manager of Marvin Home Center, reported a transaction that stood out of a 1-pound box of roofing nails that was made on March 27. Photos of the buyer matched the appearance of Thompson.

There had been an altercation that took place in January 2022 involving Thompson, his fiancee, and another male. Following that there were months of other nail scattering incidents on Hallberg Street. Dozens of victims had their tires damaged and needing to be replaced. There were incidents reported on seven different dates throughout 2023 and 2024.

In a police interview, Thompson denied putting nails on the road and denied ever driving on Hallberg Street, which according to the police report is disputed by the video surveillance. Thompson's fiancee stated that Thompson had never gotten over the 2022 altercation incident with the other male and continually brought up the subject. The report also noted that she tracked Thompson's cellphone to be on Hallberg Street at least three times in the last couple months of this year.

According to court documents, Thompson bonded out of the Roseau County Jail April 8 on a $10,000 cash bond. His initial appearance will be on April 15 at 9:30 a.m. at the Roseau County Courthouse.

If your tires were damaged in any of these incidents you can report them to Officer Travis Olafson of the Warroad Police Department by sending an email to [email protected] providing a receipt of repairs if available with an approximate date of the incident and a phone number for follow-up.