On July 26, Police Chief Marissa Adam received a report of an internal theft at Cenex Travel Plaza A & W, leading to felony theft charges against Sarah Regina Smeby, 43, of Thief River Falls. The complaint, filed on August 23, details that $3,603 was missing from the store’s safe over 11 separate incidents between July 4 and July 26.
Video surveillance allegedly captured Smeby opening the safe, removing items, and concealing them on her person. Confronted by the manager, Smeby admitted to most of the thefts but disputed the total amount, estimating it was closer to $2,000 or $2,500.
When questioned by police, Smeby initially confessed to taking money twice but later acknowledged that she had been stealing over the course of one to two months, with the total stolen amounting to between $3,400 and $3,500.