Poteet

NEW ULM — A 40-year-old New Ulm woman faces felony charges for using a credit card without the owner’s consent and for receiving stolen property.

Charges were filed against Jerri L. Poteet, 1320 S. German St., in Brown County District Court Wednesday. She was released on her with conditions. An omnibus hearing for the two cases was set for 8:30 a.m. March 17.

First charge

According to court documents, a New Ulm Police officer was advised by a man Oct. 16 that someone used his credit card at the New Ulm Menards on Oct. 11. The victim said transaction amounts were $214.67, $365.70 and $146.46. The man text messaged a photo of the credit card account history.

The man believed his card information was compromised when his wife requested reservations at the Grandstay Hotel in Madelia during the week of Oct. 7, then cancelled the reservations before staying at the hotel.

Police met with a Menards assistant manager who said transaction records matched the last four digits of the card number. Police and the assistant manager reviewed store surveillance video during the transactions and saw a white female wearing a white shirt and possibly blue jeans, saw her typing numbers into an electronic card reader. They also saw an elderly white man wearing a black cap, red shirt and black pants pushing carts from the register out of the store.

New Ulm Police contacted Madelia police and forwarded still photos from Menards. Madelia police said they knew the Grandstay manager to be Poteet who had recently moved to the area from Oklahoma. They also recognized the man in the photos.

A Menards investigator identified the name and address of the person using the in-store credit as Jerri Poteet of Bethany, Okla.

New Ulm Police contacted the man they thought was in the photo with Poteet and he verified he was there with and pushed a cart out of the store to his vehicle.

New Ulm Police were later called by Poteet who said she goes to Menards to pick up hotel items and that she recently went there with the elderly man who helped her carry items out. Poteet said she paid for the items with a card number she received from the Grandstay owner.

New Ulm Police contacted the Grandstay owner who said he was alerted by Madelia Police that Poteet left the hotel and that she and her boyfriend moved items out of their hotel room. The hotel owner said he did not give credit card information to Poteet to buy items and she would not have had to buy anything when the purchases were made at Menards.

New Ulm Police had dispatch query criminal history of Poteet and learned her criminal history lists several last name aliases including Roberts, Spradlin, Scott, Yother and Losh.

Second charge

The second charge against Poteet stems from a Feb. 17 incident in the New Ulm Wal-Mart parking lot.

According to court documents, New Ulm Police Sgt. Chip Rasche was on patrol on Feb. 17 in the Wal-Mart parking lot. He saw a vehicle stop in the parking lot fire lane, then continue west. Police headed east towards the Jacobs Street exit. Police ran the vehicle license plate and a stolen vehicle hit popped up on a black Dodge Avenger reported stolen in Albert Lea.

Rasche told dispatch of his findings after running the vehicle license plate and asked that Freeborn County be contacted to verify the vehicle was still listed stolen.

After the suspect vehicle parked, Rasche approached it and identified the driver as Poteet by her Oklahoma driver’s license. Rasche learned she had moved to Albert Lea from Oklahoma and lived there for four to five months. From there, she said she moved to New Ulm and has lived here for a few weeks.

Poteet told Rasche she bought the vehicle for $300 about a month earlier and claimed to have the title with her belongings in the trunk. She went to the trunk and presented the title that Rasche said had the seller’s name, address and signature but no buyer’s information.

Dispatch told Rasche the vehicle was stolen. Rasche contacted Albert Lea Police who said the vehicle owner left the title in it when it was stolen.

Rasche arrested Poteet and transported her to the Brown County Jail.