Prosecutors Detail Years of Robberies, Burglaries, Fraud, and Abuse by Corey Cornell Hayes
TWIN CITIES, MINNESOTA —The name Corey Cornell Hayes, 35, has surfaced again and again in courtrooms across Dakota and Hennepin counties. Over the past several years, Hayes has been tied to a series of armed robberies, burglaries, fraud schemes, and now domestic violence and stalking allegations that paint a portrait of escalating criminal conduct stretching nearly a decade.
What began with smash-and-grab break-ins and liquor store robberies has now expanded into allegations of home invasions, violent threats, and years of abusive behavior toward an intimate partner.
Armed Robberies in Eagan
The earliest major cases trace back to February and May 2021, when Hayes allegedly committed two armed robberies at liquor stores in Eagan.
Hayes is accused of brandishing a handgun at a clerk and fleeing with cash. Just months later, another Eagan liquor store was robbed in nearly identical fashion. Surveillance footage and geolocation data tied Hayes to both incidents, while distinctive clothing linked him to the second robbery.
Prosecutors initially sought bail of $100,000, but after years of failures to appear and conditional release violations, a Dakota County judge raised his bail to $300,000 without conditions and $200,000 with conditions in August 2025.
Smash-and-Grab Burglaries
By 2022, Hayes had shifted to forced-entry burglaries in Brooklyn Park. Police say he used rocks or bricks to shatter glass doors at businesses, stealing electronics, cash registers, and cash:
June 2022 – Locksmith Disciples: $800 in cash and a $1,700 key programmer were stolen; DNA from a rock matched Hayes.
June 2022 – Xerxes Ave business: $500 stolen, again with DNA evidence linking Hayes.
September 2022 – JNA Graphics & Openbox LLC: Surveillance captured Hayes throwing a brick through glass and stealing more than $8,000 in equipment; $50 was also taken from a neighboring business.
In August 2024, a nearly identical burglary in Lakeville followed the same pattern. A rock smashed through a window, a cash register was stolen, and DNA tied the crime back to Hayes.
Prosecutors in Dakota County have filed a Spreigl notice to use these Hennepin County burglary cases at trial, arguing they demonstrate Hayes’s common scheme and method.
Gold Fraud in Burnsville
In February 2025, Hayes allegedly switched tactics, using stolen credit cards to make high-value purchases at Legacy Gold in Burnsville. Over the course of two days, prosecutors allege that he purchased nearly $6,000 worth of gold bars. Surveillance footage and multiple law enforcement identifications confirmed that he was the buyer.
Bail was set at $10,000 without conditions and $6,000 with conditions.
Domestic Violence and Stalking Allegations
The most serious charges yet emerged in May 2025, when Hayes allegedly broke into his ex-partner’s home in Minneapolis.
According to court documents, Hayes called the woman earlier in the day, threatening, “I will kill you.” Later that night, he was seen outside her home with a gun, and hours later, her children reported he crawled through a window and entered the house, smiling at them before leaving through the front door.
Police tracked him with a helicopter and arrested him after a short foot chase.
The new Hennepin County case includes:
First-degree burglary of an occupied dwelling
Second-degree burglary
Felony threats of violence
Three felony domestic assaults (2021 and 2024 incidents where Hayes allegedly punched, choked, or beat the victim)
Two felony stalking charges covering a five-year span
Misdemeanor property damage
The victim told police she had lived in fear for years, describing repeated threats that Hayes would kill her, including chilling statements like: “This is not over until I kill you.”
A judge set bail at $100,000 and ordered Hayes to have no contact with the victim or possess weapons.
Court Coordination and Next Steps
On August 13, 2025, a Hennepin County judge issued an amended order noting that Hayes has pending cases in Dakota County. The court acknowledged that the outcome there will likely affect the resolution of his Hennepin County cases. Hayes was released without bail to his Dakota County hold, ensuring those proceedings take priority.
A Pattern That Prosecutors Say Speaks for Itself
Across multiple counties, Hayes’s alleged crimes share a common thread: escalation, persistence, and disregard for court orders.
In businesses, rocks and bricks were his tools of entry.
In robberies, a handgun raised the stakes.
In fraud, he targeted high-value items using stolen credit cards.
In his personal life, prosecutors say, his violence and threats terrorized a former partner for years.
With bail now ranging from $10,000 to $300,000 and overlapping trials ahead, prosecutors are working to present a unified case that portrays Hayes not as a man accused of isolated crimes, but as a repeat offender whose actions fit a larger, dangerous pattern.
Provided by the Dakota County Jail.
Written by: Will Wight
