Man charged with pretending to be private investigator in Watonwan, Cottonwood, Scott county cases

A man accused of pretending to be a private investigator in Cottonwood and Scott Counties now faces charges of using the same tactics against victims in two separate cases in Watanwan County. Jason James Lambright, 46, of South St. Paul was also charged last week with disorderly conduct.

According to criminal complaints, Lambright went to the Casey’s General Stores in St. James and Butterfield on separate nights in April, claiming he needed private information from employees and threatening to handcuff them. He left one store when an employee said she was going to call the police.

In the parking lot after one incident, Lambright told police officers he was investigating cigarette sales and drug flow at the convenience stores. Police say Lambright had handcuffs, an police baton, and a can of pepper spray in his car. An employee said Lambright had been trespassed from that store, but had still showed up for three days in a row.

In another case, Lambright approached an employee getting ready to leave for the evening, waved a baton and pair of handcuffs, then asked for permission to pat the employee down.

Investigators attempted to locate Lambright after the incidents, and learned from Scott County that a similar incident had occurred there on April 19.