Man believed to be responsible for area burglaries as part of tri-state spree arrested in Polk County

Eric Hall ...
Eric Hall ...

A south central Iowa man allegedly responsible for a string of burglaries in the Lansing and New Albin area in September of last year was arrested in Polk County in Iowa Wednesday, January 16. Eric Todd Hall, age 43, of Saylor Township north of Des Moines in Polk County was taken into custody when an off-duty deputy identified him in the parking lot at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Altoona and was aware he had several warrants outstanding for his arrest.

Through further investigation and networking with authorities throughout eastern Iowa, southeast Minnesota and southwest Wisconsin, it has been determined, mainly through positive identification from surveillance camera footage, that Hall was responsible for a rash of burglaries over the past five months throughout the tri-state area. Through some of that video footage, Hall was positively identified as being the individual caught on camera burglarizing Expresso Convenience Store in Lansing, as well as Buzzard’s Bar and Grill and Pool 9 Pub and Grub in New Albin.

Those Allamakee County incidents are believed to be among the first of a series of burglaries by Hall in 30 different counties in the state of Iowa alone during the past five months. Due to the extent of the alleged burglary spree, Lansing/New Albin Police Chief Conrad Rosendahl said it was decided that the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office is taking the lead role in compiling a case against Hall, following a meeting of involved law enforcement agencies last week.

Chief Rosendahl said the incidents with the strongest video and corroborating evidence will be used to build the overall case against Hall. Rosendahl also said that any of the three cases from September in the Lansing/New Albin area that may not be used in pursuing the overall case against Hall will likely be turned over to the Allamakee County Attorney for prosecution. Rosendahl said he could not provide any further details about the local cases or the overall case against Hall due to the ongoing status of the investigation.

A check of court documents through the State of Iowa Court System shows Hall with an extensive list of offenses that date back more than 25 years and include charges of domestic abuse assault, drug possession, burglary and a variety of others. He is being held in the Polk County Jail in Des Moines.

Chief Rosendahl strongly urges business owners to consider installing some sort of video surveillance at their business location, especially after seeing its effectiveness in this extensive case against Hall. “I cannot stress how important it is for our local businesses to invest in video surveillance,” he shared.

“It was this evidence that helped identify the subject and will be a big factor in the upcoming prosecution of this case. It’s a small investment but cheap insurance and a great way to protect your individual businesses.”