Some of the suspected stolen items recovered in three locations in Winnebago are shown in the photo above.

While working on another case, local authorities may have solved several burglaries reported in five cities.

Late Monday night, Blue Earth police – with the assistance of the Faribault County Sheriff’s Office and Winnebago Police Department – executed three search warrants.

“We recovered stolen property from three residences. We started at 10 p.m. and didn’t get things wrapped up until around 3:30 a.m.,” says Chief Deputy Scott Adams.

Five people, all from Winnebago, were taken into custody.

They are: 24-year-old Cody Diaz; Chase James, 27; Tessa Anderson, 28; Anthony Paul Diaz, Sr., 56; and Anthony Paul Diaz, Jr., 35.

Authorities seized items reported stolen in Blue Earth, Easton, Elmore, Frost and Winnebago.

Also found was methamphetamine paraphernalia and $650 in counterfeit money.

“It included $100 bills, 50s and 20s,” Adams says.

Sheriff Mike Gormley says he’s contacted the Secret Service Office in Minneapolis about the fake bills.

“They told me to send them copies of the money. Some of it was showing up in Minnesota Lake and Chief (Bob) Toland has one in Winnebago,” says Gormley.

According to Adams, the arrests are the result of hard work by Blue Earth officers Chad Bonin and Todd Purvis, and Winnebago officer Mike Beletti.

“In the end it was good teamwork by the law agencies. But, the three officers deserve a lot of credit,” he adds.

Court complaints say Cody Diaz was pulled over for driving while impaired and reportedly tried to flee the officers.

Bonin and Purvis noticed a lot of tools in the backseat of Diaz’s vehicle, says the complaint. Officers searched the vehicle and found items reported stolen from a Blue Earth electric company.

” A lot of times they’re stopped for one thing and officers find something else,” says Gormley.

Authorities believe the break-in of Electric Service Company in Blue Earth last December has also been solved.

Burglars took electrician tools valued at several thousands of dollars and wire estimated at $20,000.

Authorities say cases are still pending for recent burglaries at Schroeder Electric in Easton and Express Diagnostic International (EDI) in Blue Earth.

“I’m not even halfway through the reports. I’ve got more to go through and expect more charges to be filed,” says County Attorney Troy Timmerman.

Adams says tools, wire and a pressure washer were taken from a van and an enclosed trailer at Schroeder Electric about two weeks ago.

At EDI, drug-testing kits valued at about $2,000 were stolen.

The defendants made their first court appearance on Wednesday.

Anthony Paul Diaz, Jr., was charged with second-degree burglary, theft, two counts of receiving stolen property and fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance.

Cody Diaz faces charges of two counts of second-degree burglary, two counts of theft, fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance, fleeing a peace officer in a vehicle and third-degree driving while impaired.

James is charged with second-degree burglary, theft, receiving stolen property, fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance and endangering a child/ situation of illegal drugs and terroristic threats/to kill a peace officer.

Anthony Paul Diaz, Sr., faces charges of fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance and receiving stolen property.

Anderson is charged with receiving stolen property, fifth-degree possession of an illegal substance and endangering a child/situation of illegal drugs.

Each is being held in the county jail on at least one $20,000 surety bond or $2,000 cash bail.

Law enforcement is asking the public to contact them with a list of any property that they have had stolen so it can be compared to the items recovered during the searches.

The Blue Earth Police Department may be contacted at (507) 526-5959; Winnebago Police, (507) 893-3218; and Sheriff’s Office, (507) 526-5148, Ext. 4.