ELY- A woman from Ely is facing two felony charges after she allegedly took an ATV that didn’t clearly belong to her. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office received a report last Thursday afternoon, Sept. 14, that Jennifer Brandau, age 43, stole a Polaris Sportsman ATV from a property on Winton Road.
According to the criminal complaint a St. Louis County deputy spoke to the owner of the vehicle, who said he stored the vehicle at the Winton Rd. property. The property owner confirmed he stored the vehicle for the owner and that Brandau did not have permission to take or use the ATV. He further stated that the Polaris was stored in a pole barn that Brandau would need to “break in … to get to the ATV.”
When contacted by deputies, Brandau admitted she took the ATV and claimed it belonged to her and her ex-husband, the owner of the property where the vehicle was stored. She later changed her story, subsequently stating “there was divorce paperwork regarding ATV ownership.” Brandau eventually disclosed the location of the ATV, which deputies then returned to the owner.
Brandau, whose current mailing address is at 45 E. Boundary St., a residence belonging to Jason Gillson, was booked for two felony offenses, including motor vehicle theft without owner consent and theft of movable property without consent, early Friday morning. Both offenses have a maximum sentence of five years and a maximum fine of $10,000.
Gillson faces multiple felonies from two recent incidents involving law enforcement.
Brandau is in the middle of settling a divorce initiated by her husband, with the first record of hearings in May 2022. The case is ongoing, with the most recent hearing on Aug. 29 and the next hearing set for November. The court has held decisions affecting the divorce case off the record so the statements on the ATV ownership as part of a divorce settlement could not be verified.