Retail

Ex-cop sentenced for stealing $2,200 in groceries at self-checkout

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September 8, 2025

A former police officer, Gary Lee Gerdes, 75, has been sentenced to probation for felony theft after he was accused of stealing over $2,200 worth of groceries from a local Hy-Vee, according to a Red Lake Nation News report.

Gerdes, a Worthington retiree, pleaded guilty in July to "skip scanning" 369 items during 65 separate trips to the store's self-checkout lanes. As part of his sentencing, he was ordered to pay restitution for the stolen merchandise.