Tuesday evening, officers responded to a reported theft in progress at a local store.
Upon arrival, officers met with a store employee who had witnessed and stopped 56 year old David L. Torkelson Sr. leaving the store with a cart load of unpaid merchandise.
According to officer notes, Torkelson reportedly admitted to taking the merchandise due to financial woes. Torkelson also reportedly admitted to prior shoplifting incidents, but did not go into detail. Upon further investigation, the merchandise was valued to be $2,345.07. As a result, Torkelson was taken into custody.
According to court records, Torkelson was charged Wednesday morning in Lincoln County Circuit on a felony charge of Retail Theft ($500-5,000) and was released on $2,000 signature bond.