Police: Two Men Arrested After Attempting to Steal Horn off of Minnesota Zephyr

Two men were arrested last week after a Stillwater resident reported the possible theft of a horn from the Minnesota Zephyr dinner train that sits stationary on the north end of downtown.

While a resident was on a walk on Aug. 6, he noticed one man standing on top of the Zephyr, and another standing nearby. He also noticed that a bell had been removed from the train, and was now in the back of a pickup truck.

The resident called David Paradeau, the owner of the Zephyr, and asked if anyone was supposed to be on the train, the police report states. Paradeau told the man no one was supposed to be near the train.

The resident detained the two men—later identified as Anthony Wood, 19, of Birchwood Village and Daniel Lindfors, 19 of Chaska—and called police.

Wood reportedly told police he had been at the “Minnesota Transportation Museum in Osceola to replace a train horn up there,” the report states. Wood went on to tell police that they came down to Stillwater to check the Zephyr for parts after repairing a horn in Osceola.

Lindfors told police he was employed by the Minnesota Transportation Museum and had permission to replace the horn and replace it with another one.

Wood told police that they two men disconnected the Zephyr’s horn, “were going to inspect it, take pictures and then contact the owner of the train to see if they could buy it,” the report states.

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The horn is valued at $400, according to the report. Damage to a copper line connecting the horn to the train is estimated to be $1,000.

Both men told police they did not have permission to be on Paradeau’s property.

Police then contacted an agent with the Burlington Northern Police who said the horn would not, per company policy, be available to sale for the public and should not be in Wood’s possession, because the horn could be completely refurbished and repaired, the report states. The agent told police the horn in the back of the pickup truck should be considered stolen property.

Wood and Lindfors were arrested on suspicion of theft.