Victim says convict duct taped her and ransacked her home

Two women say three men broke into their home last month, duct taped one of them and stole several valuable items.

James Paul Hutchinson, 30, of Austin, is one of the suspects. Police arrested Hutchinson on March 18 in a different incident in which people say Hutchinson threatened to burn down a house and kill someone’s cat.

One of the victims in the Feb. 14 alleged break-in said Hutchinson wore a police jacket and duct taped her while others ransacked the house. One of the suspects also yelled, “Don’t call the police. We’re the police.”

Police and witnesses later linked Hutchinson to a spray painted truck and the police jacket, according to the Mower County Court complaint.

Hutchinson is charged with terroristic threats, a felony, and misdemeanor domestic assault in the recent case. He was charged with two counts of first-degree burglary and kidnapping in the previous case, along with gross misdemeanor theft. The victims said Hutchinson and the suspects stole an iPad, diamond ring and 14-karat gold chain.

Hutchinson is in court April 4.

In 2012, he was convicted of a felony for storing methamphetamine paraphernalia in the presence of a child.

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