A St. Paul police officer faces criminal charges after he allegedly broke into the loss prevention office of a Cub Foods store where he used to work and fiddled with security cameras to conceal a string of thefts.
Tommy Lee Adams, 41, of St. Paul, is charged with 14 felony counts of third-degree burglary. If convicted, each charge carries a maximum prison sentence of five years.
A spokesperson for the St. Paul Police Department confirmed Adams has been on paid administrative leave since November while the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigates his alleged crimes.
“I was sad to learn of these actions, but I trust this has been a thorough investigation,” St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry said in a statement. “Officers, like everyone else, must be accountable for our actions. This starts by holding ourselves to the highest standards for our community, for our profession, and for this department.”
SPPD would not disclose how much Adams has made in the nearly six months he has been on leave, saying that information is considered confidential under state law. The department said his gross pay in 2025 was $129,307.
What charging documents say
According to a criminal complaint, staff at the Lyndale Avenue Cub Foods in Bloomington first noticed something was awry on Sept. 3, when a loss prevention investigator spotted a discarded Gatorade bottle in his office that hadn’t been there the last time he was in the room.
The employee checked security footage from inside the office and discovered footage from Aug. 24 showing a man enter the office through a locked exterior door, sit down at the security desk and position cameras away from the store’s beauty section. The man is then seen bringing items back to the office, bagging them up, and returning the cameras to their original positions.
Because there were no signs of forced entry and the person seemed to know the inner workings of the loss prevention office, staff members concluded the thief must have been a former loss prevention employee. They also noted that the man resembled Adams, who worked for Cub Foods loss prevention off and on for 15 years until his departure for SPPD in 2017.
Loss prevention staff said Adams would have had access to a master key during his time at Cub, the complaint states.
Further review of security footage found Adams stealing from the Bloomington store in the same fashion 13 times from November 2024 through August 2025. At one point, he was captured taking vitamins, pre-workout supplements, protein powder, protein bars and diapers.
Once the case was reported to the BCA, investigators obtained a search warrant for Adams’ cellphone data. Location information placed him at the Bloomington Cub during each of the instances where he was captured on camera, the complaint states.
On Nov. 18, BCA special agents searched Adams’ vehicle and his home, finding several reusable bags like the ones the thief used to hold stolen goods, a key to a Cub Foods office, and two Cub Foods baskets, among other items.
BCA agents also matched up security footage between Adams’ apartment building and the store, which showed him leaving his home wearing outfits that matched with the person entering the store on two occasions in August 2025.
Adams was charged via summons and is not in custody. His first court appearance is set for May 21.
Reaction from law enforcement
“Even police officers, just like average citizens, are entitled to due process and their constitutional rights,” said Rich Stanek, former Hennepin County sheriff.
He says it’s normal for a law enforcement agency to place an officer on paid leave during an ongoing criminal investigation into that officer.
“If there was suspicion of criminal activity, to place the officer on paid administrative leave would be appropriate,” Stanek said.
He added that the paid leave would prevent the officer from using their position to access the investigation or influence it in any way.
“You know, he’s not guilty, he’s not guilty of anything,” Stanek said, not during the investigation. “He’s entitled to due process and let the allegations play out.”
“I think transparency is really important,” Stanek said. “I think [the] St. Paul Police Department got it right. They placed him on paid administrative leave…That may not be palatable to some people, but again, he’s entitled to due process and to face the allegations [in court].”
Adams has been on paid leave for almost six months, which is something Stanek says may soon change now that prosecutors have filed charges.
“The next day or two will probably determine whether or not he’s placed on either unpaid administrative leave or maybe terminated from the agency,” Stanek said.
KSTP is trying to learn what the St. Paul police plan to do next. We also tried to speak with Adams, but haven’t been able to reach him in person or over the phone.
Courtesy of KSTP.
