Fargo Woman Charged in $4,252 Fergus Falls Theft

FERGUS FALLS, Minn. (trfnews.i234.me) – A Fargo woman faces two felony theft charges following an alleged $4,251.83 shoplifting incident at Fleet Farm.

According to court documents, investigators used DNA evidence recovered from merchandise packaging to identify the alleged suspect.

Julia Rose Lee, 39, of Fargo, North Dakota, is accused of participating in the January 24, 2026, incident.

The criminal complaint alleges Lee and a male companion left the store without paying for merchandise.

Police Respond to Fleet Farm Theft

At approximately 2:58 p.m., Fergus Falls police received a report of a suspected theft at Fleet Farm.

The initial report indicated that a shoplifter had left the store with merchandise valued at more than $1,000.

Authorities learned that the suspects entered a white pickup and drove northbound on Tower Road.

A partial license plate number was obtained, but officers were initially unable to locate the vehicle.

Investigators subsequently contacted Fleet Farm loss prevention personnel to review the incident.

Suspects Allegedly Flee Store

According to the complaint, store employees had been monitoring a man and woman for suspicious activity.

The pair allegedly pushed a shopping cart containing merchandise beyond the final checkout area without paying.

Loss prevention personnel confronted them after they passed the last point of sale.

Both individuals reportedly ran toward their vehicle and fled the store.

Store security footage later became an important part of the investigation.

Blood Found on Merchandise Packaging

While reviewing surveillance footage, investigators observed the woman removing a manual ice auger from its packaging.

During an inventory of the merchandise, officers noticed what appeared to be blood on a box.

A loss prevention employee told investigators that the blood did not belong to him.

Investigators suspected the woman may have cut her hand while handling the ice auger.

The box was collected as potential evidence.

Store personnel initially believed all merchandise had been recovered.

However, a later review suggested the woman had concealed fishing pliers inside her clothing.

Some recovered merchandise also reportedly could not be sold because of blood contamination.

The complaint lists the total value of merchandise involved at $4,251.83.

DNA Evidence Allegedly Identifies Suspect

Investigators submitted the suspected blood evidence to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for laboratory analysis.

Testing confirmed that the material contained blood.

According to court documents, a database comparison connected the sample to Lee’s DNA profile.

Investigators then arranged to obtain a new cheek swab from Lee through her probation agent.

The additional sample was collected and compared with the evidence recovered from Fleet Farm.

Laboratory results reportedly found the DNA evidence was more than 100 billion times more likely if Lee was the source than if an unrelated individual was the source.

The complaint cites those findings as evidence supporting the theft charges.

Two Felony Theft Charges Filed

Lee faces two felony counts in Otter Tail County District Court.

Count I – Felony Theft: Allegedly taking merchandise without the owner’s consent.
Count II – Felony Theft: Allegedly aiding or participating with another person in the theft.

Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.

The charges are filed under Minnesota Statute 609.52.

The case is filed under court file number 56-CR-26-2435 and was issued with a summons.

The allegations have not been proven in court. Lee is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

I’m Adrian Cole reporting for TRF News.

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