Most Minnesota Story Ever: Mother & Son Steal $5K Worth of Gopher Feet

A mother and son out of Preston, Minnesota are currently being charged with the theft of nearly $5,000 worth of gophers’ feet that a local trapper alleges were stolen from his freezer.

When the trapper noticed the feet were missing — presumably because he counts them every night before bed and again when he wakes up in the morning — he contacted authorities as well as the local townships that offer rewards for gophers as a means of keeping the rodent population down. It’s a woodsy whodunnit for the ages!

The trapper’s investigative work led him to Tina Marie Garrison and Junior Lee Dillon, a mother and son who collectively had turned in enough gopher feet to receive $4,794 in reward money last November and December. The pair were charged with the theft last month, though Dillon denies having turned in any feet for reward.

Forget the Bling Ring. Tina Marie Garrison and Junior Lee Dillon’s story is the real one that deserves telling. It has everything — money, intrigue, family drama, detached feet and an amateur detective. This is the stuff that legends are made of.