DNA Evidence Links Defendant to Rosemount Water Treatment Plant Burglary, Charges Say
Published: September 8, 2026.
ROSEMOUNT, MN: A 41-year-old Dodge Center man already facing criminal cases in multiple Minnesota counties has now been charged in connection with a 2025 burglary at the Rosemount Water Treatment Plant, where investigators say copper piping and wiring were stripped from a vacant building.
Shawn Eric Clement, 41, has been charged in Dakota County District Court with felony second-degree burglary while possessing a tool and felony third-degree burglary. The charges stem from a Sept. 21, 2025, incident at the Metropolitan Council-owned Rosemount Water Treatment Plant property at 4201 140th Street E. According to the criminal complaint, investigators ultimately connected Clement to the scene through a damaged cellphone allegedly containing his information and DNA recovered from a Mountain Dew bottle left inside the burglarized building.
Investigators filed the charges nearly a year after the alleged burglary, on September 3, 2026, while Clement was already in custody on a separate Dodge County theft case involving stolen catalytic converters.
Employee Encounters Suspects at Water Treatment Plant
According to the Dakota County criminal complaint, Rosemount police officers were dispatched to the water treatment plant property on September 21, 2025, following a report of a theft. A Metropolitan Council employee told investigators the property contained one building still in use, along with several outbuildings that were no longer used but still contained metal piping and tools. According to the complaint, the entire property was surrounded by fencing and secured with locked gates.
The employee reported driving through the area when he noticed one of the gates ajar and unlocked. When he drove to the north side of a nearby vacant building, the employee allegedly heard one man yell to another that someone was on the property and that they needed to leave. A green Dodge Dakota then drove away pulling a trailer, according to the complaint. Authorities say the trailer contained a generator, ladder, and what appeared to be a significant amount of copper wire.
The employee described the driver as a roughly 6-foot-tall white man with a slender build, black beard, and a slanted "newsboy"-style hat. The employee could not get a clear look at the passenger but believed the person was also a man.
Tools, Cellphone, and Drink Bottle Allegedly Left Behind
Officers later entered the vacant building the suspects allegedly fled and found numerous items left behind. According to the complaint, those items included a Milwaukee band saw, Milwaukee drill, a fresh cigarette butt, two packages of Marlboro 100 cigarettes, a mostly empty Mountain Dew bottle, a headlamp, a damaged black Android cellphone, and bolt cutters. Police also found an orange bag containing perishable food, a screwdriver, and a receipt.
Investigators reported finding significant evidence that metal had been removed from the building. Copper pipes had allegedly been stripped from the walls and placed on the ground, electrical conduit boxes had been broken open, and insulation was damaged. Officers also found several brown barrels, some filled with cut copper pipe and wiring, according to the complaint. Material had also been placed over the building's windows, which investigators believed was intended to conceal activity taking place inside.
Police reported that the lock on a nearby gate had been cut off and replaced with another lock. Tire tracks near the gate were consistent with the suspects having used it to access the property, according to the complaint. Investigators believed the two people entered through the gate and then stripped copper pipe and wiring from the vacant building to take and sell the metal.
The value of the material allegedly taken and the damage to the building were still unknown when the complaint was filed.
Cellphone and DNA Evidence Point to Clement, Complaint Says
Investigators later examined the damaged Android cellphone recovered from the building. According to the complaint, the Dakota County Electronic Crimes Task Force found Chrome autofill and form information identifying Clement as the phone's subscriber. Investigators also determined that the phone number associated with the device was connected to a Verizon account held by Clement.
Investigators collected DNA samples from several items found inside the building. Testing of the mostly empty Mountain Dew bottle produced DNA that matched a known offender sample belonging to Clement, according to the complaint. Prosecutors allege the cellphone evidence and DNA testing connected Clement to the burglary.
The complaint identifies a second person as having participated in the incident with Clement, but the charging document does not identify that individual.
Up to 10 Years in Prison on Most Serious Charge
Clement is charged with second-degree burglary under a provision of Minnesota law involving possession of a tool used to gain access to money or property. That felony carries a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison, a $20,000 fine, or both. The third-degree burglary charge carries a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both. Those are statutory maximum penalties and do not necessarily represent the sentence Clement would receive if convicted.
Dakota County prosecutors requested a warrant because Clement was already being held in the Dodge County Jail on other charges when they filed the Rosemount case. According to a September 3rd bail document, bail in the Dakota County case was set at $40,000 without conditions or $30,000 with conditions. Conditional release requirements include remaining in Minnesota unless Clement receives written court approval to leave, staying away from the Rosemount Water Treatment Plant property, participating in a pretrial release program, remaining law-abiding, making future court appearances, and keeping the court and his attorney informed of his current address.
Prosecutors argued that significant conditional bail was warranted because Clement had three other pending criminal matters at the time, two of which prosecutors said involved theft. The state also cited what it characterized as Clement's history of theft and property-damage-related offenses.
Separate Dodge County Case Involves Stolen Catalytic Converters
One of Clement's other pending cases stems from an August 29, 2026, theft investigation in Dodge County. In that case, Clement is charged with felony theft involving property valued at more than $1,000 but not more than $5,000. According to that criminal complaint, law enforcement was called to L&D Recycling in West Concord after the owner discovered several catalytic converters were missing.
Because the business had experienced previous burglaries, the owner had reportedly hidden Apple AirTags in two catalytic converters. When the owner discovered the converters missing on August 29, the tracking devices allegedly showed them at Clement's residence on 3rd Street SE in Dodge Center.
Surveillance footage from the recycling business showed the theft occurring at approximately 3:17 a.m., according to the complaint. The owner estimated that four to six catalytic converters had been taken from inside the fenced property. Investigators sought a search warrant for Clement's residence.
While preparing the warrant, law enforcement officers allegedly encountered Clement cutting catalytic converters in a garage on the property. After a judge approved the search warrant, officers searched the residence and reported finding numerous pieces of metal believed to be catalytic converter parts in and around the garage. Clement was advised of his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with investigators, according to the complaint. Clement allegedly told investigators that he had found the catalytic converters in a ditch and brought them home. He denied stealing anything from L&D Recycling.
The following day, investigators sent photographs of the recovered property to the business owner. The owner identified five catalytic converters, valued at approximately $150 to $200 each at scrap value, along with copper wire, electric motors, and brass. Including the two AirTags, the business estimated its total loss at between $1,020 and $1,270.
The Dodge County complaint also lists several prior theft and receiving-stolen-property convictions involving Clement in Olmstead and Dodge Counties, from 2019 to 2022.
Goodhue County Case Alleges DNA Match in Stolen Truck
Court documents provided to Limitless Media News show Clement is also charged in Goodhue County in connection with the April 3, 2026, theft of a work truck from Midwest Machinery in Wanamingo. Clement is charged there with felony motor vehicle theft and misdemeanor motor vehicle tampering. The felony charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.
According to that complaint, the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office was notified around 7:53 a.m. April 3rd, that someone had burglarized Midwest Machinery at 11555 Highway 60 and stolen a white 2021 Chevrolet Silverado. The business reported that someone pried open a personnel door and that the stolen truck had a tracking device. Deputies located the truck shortly after on 105th Avenue. No suspects were with it when deputies arrived. Investigators swabbed the truck's door handles and steering wheel for DNA and sent the samples to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for analysis.
Employees later reported that a tool dolly and 15 ratchet straps had also been taken from the truck and that the dashboard area had been damaged. Investigators documented extensive damage to the door allegedly used to enter the business, including a cracked wooden frame, displaced strike plate, and numerous scratches. The business estimated the door damage at between $1,500 and $2,000. The business estimated the Silverado itself was worth approximately $20,000 to $30,000.
GPS information showed the truck traveled through several communities overnight, including Pine Island, Rochester, and West Concord, and stopped at multiple locations before it was recovered.
BCA DNA Search Allegedly Produces Match
Investigators initially explored another possible suspect after an outside law enforcement agency reported that a wanted person's Facebook account had pinged in the general area where the stolen truck was later recovered. The complaint notes, however, that investigators could not substantiate that information sufficiently to place that individual at the scene.
The investigation later shifted after DNA testing. On May 7th, the BCA notified investigators that DNA collected from the truck's door handle and steering wheel contained a major male profile. Investigators entered the profile into a DNA database for continued searching. Eleven days later, investigators received another notification from the BCA. According to the complaint, the DNA profile from the truck's door handle and steering wheel had been searched against additional profiles in Minnesota's convicted-offender DNA database and matched a profile identified as belonging to Clement.
The Rosemount and Goodhue County cases therefore both contain allegations that DNA evidence connected Clement to the respective crime scenes. In Rosemount, prosecutors say Clement's DNA was recovered from a Mountain Dew bottle allegedly left inside the burglarized water treatment plant building. In Goodhue County, prosecutors say a DNA profile matching Clement was recovered from the stolen Silverado's door handle and steering wheel.
Multiple Cases Pending
The new Dakota County case adds to a series of criminal matters involving Clement across southeastern Minnesota. Dakota County prosecutors specifically referenced three other pending criminal matters when arguing for bail in the Rosemount case, along with several previous cases involving theft or property-related offenses.
The charges in the Rosemount case remain allegations. Clement is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Pictured: Shawn Eric Clement. Provided by the Dakota County Attorney’s Office.
