Two Itasca County Residents Sentenced For Grand Rapids Home Invasion

Two Itasca County residents have been sentenced for their involvement in a home invasion. According to a press release, Edward Wade Fauth, 19 of Grand Rapids, and Zachary Walter Cary, 28 of Cloquet, appeared in Itasca County District court for their sentencing hearing on Monday.

Fauth and Cary were accused of planning and participating in a Grand Rapids home invasion on August 3, 2016. According to the criminal complaint, Cary was wearing an orange mask and had taken someone hostage at gunpoint at a residence. Officers observed him running in the vicinity and chased after him. He eventually stopped and was arrested. While conducting a search on the suspect, officers found a Glock firearm with a bullet in the chamber and an empty magazine. They also found a second Glock with a loaded magazine and an empty chamber. The orange bandana was found around his neck.

Cary said during interrogation that his friend, identified as Fauth, had called him and asked if he would like “fast money and drugs.” Cary said that Fauth told him he knew of a house in the area with a homeowner out of town and the residence contained cash and drugs. The pair allegedly met in Duluth, created a plan and then drove to Grand Rapids in separate vehicles.

After dropping off Fauth’s vehicle at a rest stop as a get-a-way plan, the pair drove by the home in question a few times to make sure it was the correct address. Cary was dropped off a couple blocks away and entered with the firearm after putting on the mask.

A woman was standing near the doorway and started screaming. Cary told her to give him money and drugs. The woman later told police that she was held at gunpoint for about 30 minutes.

A man arrived at the scene and demanded that Cary put down the gun. The unidentified male went after Cary in an attempt to disarm him. When the man identified as T.M.M. wrestled with Cary, the woman ran outside with another female and left the scene in a vehicle. The gun went off and Cary then regained control, after which he ran away.

T.M.M. said that he was there house watching for a friend and the woman held at gunpoint was his sister. He told police that the masked man pulled the second gun out of his pocket, pointed it at him and said, “if you call the police, I will kill you.”

Police contacted Fauth by phone about the investigation. Fauth said he was in Duluth and claimed he had been there all night. In the report, officers had received information from an unknown source that Fauth’s phone was located near the crime. He was arrested traveling in his vehicle near Swatara.

The pair previously pleaded guilty to one count each of aggravated robbery in the first degree which is a felony.

They were both sentenced to a 57 month stayed prison sentence and were placed on 10 years of supervised probation with various probation conditions. This included serving 12 months in the Itasca County Jail.