An unidentified man, who later told police he was sent by an angel, wandered into a home in the Marcy Holmes neighborhood on April 11, sending the frightened resident next door for help as police and the resident’s brother rushed to the scene.
Minneapolis police removed the intruder from the home at 424 S.E. 4th St. and took him to the Hennepin County Jail for booking, according to the police report.
Although no one was harmed, the bizarre incident caused some tense moments for the resident, a non-English speaking woman who wished not to be identified, and for her neighbor, Barbara Denzer.
Denzer said her neighbor banged on her door shortly before noon.
“The language barrier was the problem,” Denzer said. “She was just frantic.”
The stranger reportedly entered the two-story home while the woman was cooking. When he walked downstairs, she ran next door to Denzer for help.
Denzer said she telephoned the woman’s brother and the police. Two squad cars arrived almost immediately, followed by the brother.
The brother said the intruder had acted strangely, screaming “God!” The brother found a bag containing a stone and medical drugs marked “Hennepin County” in the house.
Minneapolis Police Sgt. Steve Persons said the intruder has not been charged. Such cases often involve transients, he added.

In other police news:
ù A man, who in March allegedly stole a $189 travel backpack from the European Grind coffeehouse at 815 S.E. Washington Ave., returned Sunday night and was caught when an employee recognized him.
Minneapolis police, who were called to the scene, identified and released the suspect but kept the cafe’s surveillance videotape.
Jon Grant, the employee who spotted the suspect, said the man was wearing the same jacket and hat as on March 21, when the backpack, sold by the coffeehouse, disappeared.
Taylor Kratt, another employee and an American studies senior at the University, said coworkers reviewed the videotape March 22 after they noticed the backpack was missing.
A heavy chain has since been strung between the travel service desk and the coffee counter to discourage potential thieves from stealing the backpacks that hang on the wall behind.

ù An alarm sounded early Saturday morning at Know Name Records at 805 S.E. 4th St., waking store manager Chris Valenty, who soon discovered a red brick and two smashed storefront windows.
The windows, which were valued at $800, were smashed out at 1:30 a.m. The Minneapolis police report noted no further losses.
Valenty said he and a friend boarded up the windows afterward to prevent zombies from entering the store, referring to a scene in the movie “Dawn of the Dead.”
But vandals have struck before. “This is at least the fifth time in two years,” said Valenty, who speculated the perpetrator was after the store’s CD collection.

Robert Koch covers police and courts and welcomes comments at [email protected].