SPPD officer charged 14 times for allegedly stealing from Cub Foods

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A St. Paul Police Department (SPPD) Officer faces 14 counts of burglary after he allegedly stole from a Cub Foods in Bloomington as many times between November 2024 and August 2025. (FOX 9)

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - A St. Paul Police Department (SPPD) Officer faces 14 counts of burglary after he allegedly stole from a Cub Foods in Bloomington as many times.

St. Paul officer Cub Foods theft

What we know:

Tommy Lee Adams, 41, of St. Paul, faces third-degree burglary charges for incidents that allegedly occurred between 10 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. from November 2024 through August 2025.

According to charges, on Sept. 3, 2025, a loss prevention specialist with Cub Foods on 8421 Lyndale Avenue South in Bloomington, noticed an empty bottle of Gatorade in a garbage can in a secure loss prevention office – noting it was odd due to the trash having been cleared previously.

A review of security cameras inside the office showed that on Aug. 24, 2025, an unknown man entered a secure side door to the store, entered a locked loss prevention office, sat down at a security desk, and started maneuvering cameras away from the beauty section, according to charges.

A short time later, the man returned with several items, bagged them up, and moved the cameras back to where they were, before exiting through the fire exit door in the loss prevention office. He then loaded the items in a vehicle and took off.

Dig deeper:

Charges state that surveillance video was reviewed with other members of Cub’s loss prevention teams, who all agreed that the person committing the crimes likely worked in a loss prevention role previously given their knowledge of building access and security systems.

It was then noted that the person resembled Adams, who previously worked in loss prevention for the grocery store chain on-and-off for the last 15 years, but was currently employed with the St. Paul Police Department. A Facebook page with the name "Lee Tom" was also reviewed, and appeared to show several photos of him that matched the description seen on camera.

According to charges, cameras showed Adams on several occasions taking vitamins, pre-workout supplements, protein powder, and protein bars, which were consistent with the lifestyle of exercising shown on social media. He also took diapers, and was known to be the father of a young child.

The loss prevention team totaled the times in which Adams would allegedly be seen doing the same routine, then used data to determine whether the vehicle in question was registered with him.

As part of the investigation, loss prevention teams used a program utilized by the FBI Cellular Analysis Survey Team for mapping and analyzing cellular records. A review of the data showed that the location of the phone was consistent with the crime scene in all 14 instances, and in most instances, the phone traveled from an area consistent with his home address, to the crime scene at Cub Foods, and back home again.

On Sept 27, 2025, he again attempted to enter the store at 11:50 p.m., but was unsuccessful.

On Nov. 18, 2025, law enforcement agents searched both Adams’ home and vehicle, recovering numerous items that were found to have been stolen in the process.

What they're saying:

When contacted by FOX 9 regarding the charges, SPPD Police Chief Axel Henry provided the following statement: "I was sad to learn of these actions, but I trust this has been a thorough investigation. Officers, like everyone else, must be accountable for our actions. This starts by holding ourselves to the highest standards for our community, for our profession, and for this department."