Head for a suburban mall, apply for a job at Orange Julius -- and snatch cash right out of the hand of a stunned shopper. Then leave a trail for police to follow, including your job application, replete with all of the information the cops need to nab you.

That's what Antoine M. Goodman, 18, of Burnsville allegedly did, according to charges filed this week in Dakota County District Court.

A complaint said the case began unfolding at the Burnsville Center on March 4, when a man reported to police that he had asked two men for change for a dollar, but one of them snatched his wad of about $90.

Burnsville police took down the description of the men and conferred with mall security. One guard said he saw two matching that description earlier in the day, hanging around a juice shop. Police spoke with the owner of the juice shop, who confirmed that two men matching that description had come to the shop and one had applied for a job. The manager gave the application to police. The name on it was Goodman's, the court papers say.

Police retrieved store surveillance video footage that showed Goodman standing in the Orange Julius that day. Later, when contacted by police, he admitted applying for a job but denied snatching cash from anyone in the mall.

The victim picked Goodman out of a photo lineup, and he was charged this week with theft from person, a felony.

Oh, and he didn't get the job.

JOY POWELL