A tenant who lives in an apartment above a downtown bar discovered the door to the business open.

Thursday, October 12, 2000

A tenant who lives in an apartment above a downtown bar discovered the door to the business open.

When Austin police officers searched the building, they discovered drugs and a large amount of cash.

According to an Austin Police Department report, the tenant noticed an open door to the Alaskan Bar at 111 Second Ave. NE, when he arrived at 3 a.m. Tuesday.

An officer searched the upstairs area for a possible intruder and found none. When he continued his search in the lower level, he found a light on in an office.

In plain sight on a desk were rolled $1 and $5 bills, Zig Zag cigarette-rolling papers, a CD case with a white residue and other items associated with the use of narcotics.

A co-owner of the Alaskan Bar, Denia Stevens arrived at the scene and agreed with Austin police to secure the building until the detective on-call could arrive. She did that and later the detective arrived and received the permission of Jay, 37, and Denia, 35, Stevens to reenter the building.

Police seized the items, plus substances that later tested positive for marijuana and cocaine.

Mower County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Jeff Ellis and canine unit Cleo also assisted and discovered a brown plastic bag containing $8,800 in cash.

The bar owners said the business closed at 1 a.m. Tuesday or two hours before the door was discovered open and the drugs and drug paraphernalia, plus cash and other items were found.

The case remains under investigation.

Juveniles recaptured

Two juveniles, who escaped Tuesday from the Many Rivers Juvenile Detention Center in Rochester, were recaptured that night in Austin.

According to a Mower County Sheriff’s Department report, the male and female, ages 14 and 15, respectively, were able to escape while being transported by a civilian, rather than law enforcement, escort.

Both were captured in the city of Austin. The mother of the female subjected called authorities to tell them her daughter had returned home from the detention center.

She was returned to the Many Rivers facility after being taken into custody.

The male was apprehended by a canine unit and is in St. Mary’s Hospital, Rochester, today for treatment of the dog bite.

The juvenile male was being held on bad check charges. The circumstances for the juvenile female’s detention were unknown.

Both are from Austin.