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Golf club thief walks away with 14-year-old’s gear in Maple Grove

Published  June 20, 2025 6:48pm CDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 9
Repeat golf club thief sought by police

Repeat golf club thief sought by police

Authorities believe the same person has been seen stealing golf clubs in a northwest metro clubhouse.

The Brief

    • Dayton Police believe the same suspect has now struck the same golf course twice, once on May 18th and again on June 19th.
    • Security video from Sundance Golf Club shows a man walking to the practice green with a single club, then walking away 20 minutes later with a full bag when the owners go into the clubhouse.
    • 14-year-old Wesley Johnson of Maple Grove had saved for several years and had played one round of golf with his new clubs when he was targeted.

DAYTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - It’s happened twice, one month apart, on the same golf course - a suspect caught on video that police believe is the same person, both times.

Teenager's life savings

The backstory:

Authorities say a suspect can be seen walking in the parking lot with a golf club. He walks out a short time later with someone else’s full set. Thousands of dollars each time.

On a Sunday afternoon in May, Wesley Johnson set his golf clubs down outside the clubhouse at Sundance Golf Club and went inside.

He’d just finished his first round with the gear he’d long saved up for, spending around $2,500 on his first adult set. A lot of money for a 14-year-old.

"We had just finished eating and I looked outside, and I had set them down by a tree, and they were just gone," Wesley told FOX 9. "I looked around everywhere, searched the course…and nowhere." Security video showed a man walking in with a single club in his hand.

The Sundance manager tells FOX 9 he’s seen practicing chipping for a bit, then walks out with Wesley’s bag that he’d set down while he went inside.

Thief strikes again:

Then on June 18, the exact same thing happened again.

Sundance Golf Club posted pictures of the suspect on their Facebook page, saying he has what police hope is a distinctive tattoo on his forearm that leads to someone identifying him.

This time, the security camera caught the suspect’s car as it pulled into the parking lot, but there was no front license plate.

A similar theft also happened at Sundance last year, but police aren’t sure that the incident is connected to these two.

What's next:

Wesley, who hopes to make the Maple Grove high school golf team next year, replaced his gear thanks to generous parents and grandparents.

His mom has scoured EBay and Facebook Marketplace looking to see if anyone posts the clubs.

So far, no luck.

"I hope he gets caught, and I can either find my old clubs or get money back from him," said Wesley. "And I hope the other person gets their clubs back as well."

If you have any information about these cases, you are asked to contact the Dayton Police Department through Hennepin County Dispatch non-emergency number 952-258-5321.

Crime and Public SafetyMaple Grove