Couple Faces Theft Charges After Cops Find 17 Purses In Hotel Room

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A couple faces multiple felony burglary charges after a Maple Grove police officer found them with a $2,000 Louis Vuitton purse and a debit card, among other things, that appeared to belong to other people.

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office charged 34-year-old Brian Hudy, of Coon Rapids, Tuesday with one count of first-degree burglary and Holly Eyerman, 39, of Minneapolis, with one count of receiving stolen property.

According to criminal complaints:

Police encountered the couple on July 22 after responding to a suspicious activity call at the Select Inn, located on Forestview Lane in Maple Grove. In the parking lot, an officer found Hudy in a car in which a debit card bearing the name of a woman was in plain view.

The officer then ran a check on Hudy that showed he had an active felony warrant. In response, the officer arrested him.

In a call to the debit card's owner, officers learned there had been a break-in at her Maple Grove home early that morning. Surveillance video also captured images of what looked to be Hudy at the home where the break-in occurred.

Police then gained a search warrant to investigate the car in which Hudy was found and the hotel room in which he had been a living.

It was in the hotel room that police found Eyerman, who admitted to being Hudy's girlfriend. Eyerman said she and Hudy had stayed in the hotel for several weeks.

Police also found 17 purses and handbags in the room, numerous "clutch type purses," make up bags and check books. A Louis Vuitton bag and wallet set worth about $2,000 was also found inside a piece of luggage belonging to Eyerman.

In a statement, Eyerman told police that Hudy had left in the early hours of July 22 and returned with the Vuitton purse, which she described as a "knockoff." She said she told him to throw it out, because it was fake. She said she didn't know he put it in her luggage.

However, she did tell police that Hudy goes out "most nights" and returns with gifts, mostly purses and earrings. She also told police that she pawns things for Hudy.

If convicted of the charges, Eyerman could face a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. In the case of Hudy, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or a $35,000 fine, if convicted.