Rochester Woman Accused of Stealing Nearly $2,000 in Shoes from Store

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- The Olmsted County Attorney’s Office has filed a felony charge against a Rochester woman accused of stealing nearly $2,000 worth of shoes from a store in Rochester. 

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Court documents filed Monday describe multiple incidents of a woman walking out of the store with several boxes of shoes without paying. The store that reported the thefts is DSW in the 50 block of 25th St. Southeast. 

The criminal complaint said the first theft occurred on February 15 when a woman, later identified as 42-year-old Wendy Ricter, left the store with 6-8 boxes of shoes worth an estimated $599.95. Officers were first called to the store on February 16 after employees saw Ricter allegedly walk out of the store with five boxes of shoes worth an estimated $499.95.  

The complaint says Ricter returned to the store again on February 24 and walked out with multiple boxes of shoes without paying. A store manager told police they watched her leave the store in a vehicle that turned north on Broadway Ave. South. 

A Rochester police officer stopped the vehicle near the intersection of Hwy. 14 and Crossroads Dr. Southwest. The officer reported Ricter had a bag with multiple boxes of stolen Birkenstock shoes, worth an estimated $719.94. 

The complaint says Ricter admitted to taking the Birkenstocks discovered in her vehicle during the traffic stop and said nothing else in the vehicle was hers. She told officers she stole the shoes to sell them to pay for housing. 

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The total value of the stolen shoes is estimated to be $1819.83. Ricter was arraigned on a felony theft charge in Olmsted County Court Monday. She was released without bail but with conditions and is due back in court on March 9.