Details from Nobles County shined light on how the McLeod County Sheriff’s Office discovered the death of Timothy Tinge, 65, of Plato.
The Worthington Globe reported that on July 30, a Worthington police officer spoke with Sammuel Helms, 32, of Glencoe, during a traffic stop. According to court documents, Helms said he was borrowing the vehicle to drive to Kansas, but later said he purchased the vehicle from its owner. When the officer ran the plates, it was discovered the vehicle was registered to Tinge.
When a call to Tinge’s phone went straight to voicemail, Helms allegedly became nervous. The officer then found Tinge’s wallet, license and social security card in the vehicle. A receipt showed Tinge’s bank cards were used to buy gas.
In response to the situation, McLeod County sheriff’s deputies tried to make contact with Tinge and failed, but noticed lights on in the home. Helms allegedly said he had seen Tinge dead inside of his own home. The complaint describes Helms’ comments as erratic.
The McLeod County Sheriff’s Office entered Tinge’s home and found he was dead. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is assisting in the investigation, and according the McLeod County Sheriff’s Office it is believed Tinge’s death was not a random incident. The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled the death a homicide.
The Globe reports that when Helms’ family was contacted, members confirmed he had been acting unusual and had a history of drug use.
Helms was cleared of mental health concerns at an emergency room and arrested. According to the Nobles County jail roster, he has been charged with felony possession of stolen property and felony possession of a code grabbing device. Charges also include misdemeanor driving after license revocation and a petty misdemeanor for having window tint that is too dark.
Aaron Ward, McLeod County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy, said the matter of Helms’ arrest is one for Nobles County.
“Everything they have on him is local charges,” he said. “He is a person of interest for us, but not a suspect at this time.”
Ward said investigators are looking into more than one person, and that the case is active with evidence pending. He was unable to comment on the cause of death.
