A 56-year-old Bloomington man has been charged with 10 felony counts in connection with the armed robbery of a New Market Township tavern nearly two years ago, after investigators say a masked gunman zip-tied two employees, stole more than $13,000 in cash, and vanished into the night. David William Pollard now faces charges including first-degree aggravated robbery, first-degree burglary, second-degree assault, false imprisonment and felony theft tied to the November 2024 holdup at the Red Fox Tavern.
The charges, announced Monday, cap a 21-month investigation by the Scott County Sheriff's Office into a robbery that shook the small New Market Township community. Scott County Sheriff Luke Hennen and Scott County Attorney Ron Hocevar jointly announced the charges against Pollard, according to the sheriff's office. As reported by Prior Lake News Compass, deputies responded to a report of an armed robbery at the Red Fox Tavern at 10:21 p.m. on November 18, 2024.
According to that reporting, an armed suspect entered the tavern after closing, held two employees at gunpoint, and restrained them with zip ties and duct tape before fleeing with the cash. The victims freed themselves after the suspect left and called 911 shortly afterward. FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul reported at the time that the suspect wore an all-black outfit, a mesh mask, a coiled plastic beard and a gray hoodie while brandishing a 9mm handgun, and that the ordeal lasted 15 to 20 minutes, with the two employees ordered to zip-tie each other's arms and duct-tape their legs, per FOX 9.
How Investigators Built the Case
Investigators pieced together the case using surveillance footage, digital evidence, witness statements, vehicle rental records and information from a related federal investigation, the sheriff's office and Prior Lake News Compass reported. Pollard is accused of using a rented vehicle in connection with the robbery, and investigators say he conducted reconnaissance at the Red Fox Tavern with an alleged accomplice before the crime — though details about that second person have not been disclosed.
Reporting from KARE 11 highlighted that detectives used rental vehicle records alongside surveillance footage and digital evidence to link Pollard to both the reconnaissance and the robbery itself. The Scott County Sheriff's Office says its investigation relied on a multi-jurisdictional partnership that included the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Wright County Sheriff's Office to compile evidence across county lines.
“This case demonstrates the persistence and determination of our investigators,” Sheriff Hennen said, according to the sheriff's office. Pollard was already in custody at the Wright County Jail on separate charges by the time the Scott County charges were filed. County arrest logs from Wright County show Pollard was arrested in Sherburne County on July 29, 2026, on an active Wright County warrant for first-degree aggravated robbery, which explains why he was already behind bars when Scott County formally filed its 10 felony counts.
A Long Rap Sheet in the Twin Cities
Pollard is not a stranger to Minnesota courts. In March 2017, he was sentenced in Hennepin County District Court to more than 11 years in prison for committing nearly 40 residential burglaries between 2012 and 2015 across six Twin Cities counties, according to CBS News. That earlier scheme involved tracking theatergoers' license plates and scanning online funeral notices to target homes he knew would be empty. Minnesota Department of Corrections offender tracking records show Pollard was placed under community corrections supervision in Hennepin County on November 9, 2022, following those felony burglary convictions — meaning he was under active supervision when the Red Fox Tavern was robbed two years later.
Pollard now faces two counts of first-degree aggravated robbery, three counts of first-degree burglary, two counts of second-degree assault, two counts of false imprisonment and one count of felony theft. Under Minnesota Statute § 609.245, first-degree aggravated robbery carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $35,000 fine. First-degree burglary under Minnesota Statute § 609.582 carries the same maximum exposure, meaning Pollard could face decades in prison if convicted on multiple counts.
Tavern Owner's Aftermath
The robbery took a toll well beyond the immediate crime scene. Citing physical and mental burnout following the ordeal, Red Fox Tavern owner Lee Petersen temporarily closed the 15-year-old New Market Township establishment in December 2024, according to Bring Me the News. Public meeting records from Spring Lake Township show the tavern reopened for business in early 2025 after that temporary hiatus, with local officials noting the reopening during township board proceedings.
The identity and role of Pollard's alleged accomplice in the pre-robbery reconnaissance remains an open question, as prosecutors have not disclosed further details about that individual. It is not yet clear whether additional charges will follow as the case moves forward.
