(St. James, MN) – A Butterfield woman is accused of stealing lottery tickets from a customer at the convenience store where she worked.

Jordan Olivia Keldenich, 18, was charged Friday with felony state lottery fraud in Watonwan County for the June 4th incident.

According to the complaint, Keldenich was caught on surveillance video scratching lottery tickets that had been mistakenly left behind by a regular customer at the Casey’s off Highway 60 in St. James.  The incident had happened during the previous shift, and a note was left for Keldenich explaining the situation, say court documents.  Surveillance also showed Keldenich use the self-scanner to check the tickets before placing them in her pocket, according to the complaint.

The manager of  Casey’s called St. James police to report the incident, according to the complaint.  An investigator with the Minnesota State Lottery learned that one of the stolen tickets had been redeemed for another ticket at the 2nd Avenue Casey’s in St. James.  Video of that transaction was also captured, according to the complaint.

Keldenich did not show up for an interview she had scheduled with police on June 17th.

The maximum penalty for state lottery fraud is 10 years in prison, a $50,000 fine, or both.

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