Minneapolis Man Sentenced in Dakota County Burglary; Second Inver Grove Heights Case Dismissed
APPLE VALLEY, MINNESOTA - A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to state prison for a 2023 Apple Valley burglary, while a separate Inver Grove Heights burglary case against him was dismissed as part of a plea agreement, according to court records.
Apple Valley Burglary Case
Franklin Clyde Jones, 44, of Minneapolis, was charged with second-degree burglary after officers discovered him inside a residence in Apple Valley on April 22, 2023. Police were initially dispatched around 9:48 p.m. on a report of a suspicious male near the home.
When officers made contact, Jones claimed he had inherited the residence and presented a set of keys. However, officers observed that the doorframe had been forcibly broken. The homeowner, who was out of town, later confirmed that Jones had no permission to be inside the property. Jones was arrested at the scene, and police recovered house keys, vehicle keys, and a garage door opener linked to the residence from his possession.
Sentencing
On Monday, September 22, 2025, Jones pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary and was sentenced in Dakota County District Court. He was ordered to serve 37 months in the custody of the Minnesota Commissioner of Corrections, with credit for 598 days already served in custody. He will serve his sentence at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud. The court noted that Jones will be required to serve two-thirds of his sentence in prison before becoming eligible for supervised release, provided he follows correctional rules.
Inver Grove Heights Burglary Case
Jones also faced charges from a March 11, 2022, burglary in Inver Grove Heights, where he and an accomplice were accused of using a stolen BMW to ram the doors of a convenience store and steal cigarettes and other merchandise valued at $273.66. Surveillance video linked Jones to the crime, and he was later apprehended following a pursuit in Brooklyn Center.
In that case, which charged Jones with third-degree burglary, the charge was officially dismissed on September 22, 2025, pursuant to the plea agreement reached in his Apple Valley case.
Provided by the Dakota County Jail.
Written by: Will Wight
