WILLMAR - Carlos Lee Rey Garza, 23, of Willmar, was sentenced Thursday for stealing 28 iPads and a backpack from the Willmar Wal-Mart store in May and for making terroristic threats against a witness.
In Kandiyohi County District Court, Garza was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, which was stayed for five years. He was also placed on five years of probation and ordered to serve 150 days in the Kandiyohi County Jail, with credit for 62 days already served.
The jail time is to be served concurrently on both charges. In addition, a misdemeanor charge of fourth-degree property damage was dismissed, as was a felony charge of tampering with a witness.
Garza was also ordered to pay restitution and court fees of $11,299.86 in the case involving the stolen iPads and $1,590 in fines and fees on the charge of threatening a witness.
The total value of the smash-and-grab theft was $10,750. The damage to the store was estimated at $500.
Garza was charged with one count of felony theft and a one misdemeanor charge of damage to property.
After the bold robbery, the Willmar Police Department used surveillance photos posted on Facebook to seek the public’s help in identifying and finding the robber. A woman contacted police and identified Garza as a suspect.
According to the criminal complaint, the woman said she had been in Garza’s home June 1. With several iPads in clear sight, the woman said he had the Police Department’s Facebook page open and asked if he looked like the person in the police photos.
Garza allegedly told the woman that he had committed the crime. He also reportedly made threats to a person who had witnessed him with the stolen items in his possession.
After Garza’s arrest, he allegedly admitted he had gone to the store and used a hatchet from the camping department to smash the glass display counter. Garza said he grabbed the iPads and put them in a backpack that he had taken from another area of the store and ran out a back door.
According to the complaint, Garza hid in the woods while police looked for him but eventually made his way back to his home.
He allegedly told police he was high on meth and K2 at the time of the incident.
According to the complaint, the theft included a variety of iPads, such as 11 iPad Air SG tablets, eight iPad Air Gold tablets, seven iPad Air Silver tablets and two mini iPads.
They ranged in value from $239 to $489 each.
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