Police: Disgruntled store clerk let customers leave without paying
Ex-employee at Burlington Coat Factory charged with felony theft
An unhappy clerk at Burlington Coat Factory in Apple Valley spent his final days on the job letting customers leave the store without paying for their merchandise, according to police.
The Apple Valley police report describes Charles E. Scott, 27, as a “disgruntled employee” who was convinced he was going to be fired.
Store surveillance footage from September of last year allegedly shows several incidents in which customers presented large quantities of merchandise at Scott’s register and then left without paying after Scott bagged their items.
A manager of the store at 7575 153rd St. W. reported to police that Scott had passed about $1,300 worth of merchandise at his register without taking payment.
Scott did not know any of the customers who left the store with unpaid-for goods, according to police.
At the time the manager reported the incidents, Scott had not shown up for work in several days, the criminal complaint said.
Scott, of Minneapolis, was charged in Dakota County District Court this month with one count of felony theft.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
—Andrew Miller
