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Gas station employee faces theft, lottery fraud charges

NEW ULM — Three felony theft and a state lottery fraud charge were filed Tuesday against a 40-year-old Sleepy Eye man in Brown County District Court.

Robert D. Bauer, 500 Remmele St. SW, admitted to stealing about $5,500 in cash, cigarettes valued at about $1,200 and state lottery tickets valued at about $1,500 this winter from Casey’s General Store in Sleepy Eye, according to court documents.

Sleepy Eye police investigator Shawn Bohnen began following up on a theft by employee case at Casey’s General Store on Feb. 4. Bauer was seen multiple times on security camera video removing money from the store till and safe, taking cartons of cigarettes and Lottery tickets.

According to a handwritten statement Bauer gave to the Casey’s store manager the day he was terminated, Bauer admitted ringing in about $1,200 worth of lottery tickets and not paying for them, taking about $1,500 worth of cigarettes without paying for them and taking about $5,500 from the safe and money bag.

Bohnen reviewed the store’s daily sales log cross referenced it with Bauer’s work schedule and added up the total amount of money stolen in December 2021 and January 2022 to be $17,510.09.

Bohnen talked to Minnesota Lottery senior investigator Patrick Wolfgram, who emailed records of five lottery tickets believed to have been cashed in by Bauer at Expressway and Freedom Valu Center in Sleepy Eye and Freedom Valu Center in New Ulm.

In an interview with Bohnen, Bauer said he felt bad about what he did and only did it because he fell on hard times and wanted to be cooperative.

Bauer said he began stealing from Casey’s in early to mid-November 2021. He originally estimated he stole $12,860 in cash and about $1,200 in lottery tickets and about $1,500 worth, about 16 cigarette cartons from Casey’s.

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