St. Paul woman sentenced in Redwood County court for aiding car thief

A St. Paul woman, Alicia Ko Yang, age 37, was sentenced in Redwood County Court for aiding a car thief in Redwood Falls several months ago.

According to court documents, on Sept. 17 of this year, a Redwood Falls Police Officer was on routine patrol. Near the intersection of E. Bridge Street and North Halvorson Street, the officer noted a vehicle with a license plate indicting the vehicle had been stolen. The officer performed a traffic stop on Highway 19, near Justice Avenue.

The driver, Alicia Ko Yang, was arrested for possession of stolen property, as was the passenger, a 39 year old male who was lying in the back seat, and turned out to have multiple outstanding arrest warrants. A vehicle search turned up marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

In the Redwood County jail, investigators asked Yang if she knew the vehicle had been stolen. She allegedly replied, “Well, I did in a way, but I wasn’t sure because there was a key to it.” She also admitted the marijuana in the vehicle was her, but the glass pipes weren’t because she doesn’t smoke methamphetamine.

On Oct. 24, Yang was sentenced to 45 days local confinement, supervised probation for three years, and fees and fines of $125.