A former police officer was sentenced this week for felony theft, after accusations he stole more than $2,200 in groceries from self-checkout lanes at a local Hy-Vee.
Gary Lee Gerdes, 75, was ordered to make restitution after police said he and his wife stole some 369 items by “skip scanning” at self-checkout kiosks during 65 trips to a grocery store in Worthington, Minn.
The sentencing on Tuesday came after Gerdes pleaded guilty in July.
A LinkedIn page for Gerdes lists 39 years of service with the Worthington Police Department, as a deputy and in information technology.
According to the criminal complaint, the thefts occurred between October 2024 and March 2025.
An investigation into Gerdes and his wife, Judy, began after the store’s security director contacted law enforcement in March.
Surveillance footage showed Gerdes and his wife not scanning or paying for items in their cart, the charges said. At times, the couple would leave groceries in the cart or hold them in their hand as they scanned only one item on their way out.
When confronted by a detective in March, the couple denied they intentionally did not scan items during checkout, and Gerdes apologized and offered to pay back Hy-Vee.
