NEW ULM — A theft report at Walmart led to the seizure of a half pound of meth and the arrest of three Mankato suspects near Harman Park March 28.

Three felony 1st-degree drug sale charges were filed March 30 in Brown County District Court against Michael A. Ritz, 27 and Jennah M. Walters, both of 930 5th St.; and Todd J. King, 2040 Prairie Road.

Ritz and Walters were also charged with first-degree drug possession 50 grams or more methamphetamine. All three suspects were charged with second-degree drug sale in a park zone and felony theft. In addition, Ritz was charged with misdemeanor violation of a no-contact order.

Bail without conditions for all three suspects was set at $50,000 March 30. Walters’ conditional bail was set at $20,000; $15,000 for King and Ritz. Court appearances were set for 8:30 a.m., April 5. King and Ritz remained in Brown County Jail custody Thursday.

According to court documents, New Ulm Police were dispatched to Walmart, 1720 Westridge Road, New Ulm at 1:33 p.m. March 28 for a theft reported to have occurred about 10 minutes earlier.

Police were told a vacuum and die-cutting machine, along with other smaller items were taken by a male suspect. The suspect vehicle was a red Cadillac registered to a Mankato resident.

At 1:42 p.m., police responding on Garden Street saw a red Cadillac matching the suspect vehicle’s license plate southbound on Garden Street, near 5th Street North. Officer Tara Martin stopped the vehicle with three occupants at 2nd Street North and Garden.

The driver identified himself as Todd King, whom Martin recognized as an individual who previously lived at Emerson Union apartments in New Ulm and was on federal probation.

Martin noticed the vacuum and die-cutting machine box in plain view.

Martin identified the car passengers as Ritz and Walters. She learned there was a domestic assault no-contact order from Blue Earth County valid until 2023 prohibiting Ritz from having contact with Walters.

Ritz was removed from the vehicle and arrested for a court order violation. Walters told police everything in the front and back seat of the car was taken from Walmart without paying for it. Martin removed all Walmart items from the back seat of the car and saw a tube with residue, consistent with ingesting methamphetamines. She alerted Sgt. Charles Rasche.

Rasche found a meth pipe and several colored tubes, two black cylinders with a white, flakey shard-like substance consistent with meth, and and number of snack-sized baggies containing meth, indicating meth sales.

At 3:12 p.m., Martin returned to Walmart with items recovered in the suspect car. The total value of the items including tax was $1,489, according to the store loss-prevention specialist and store manager.

The specialist provided police with a video and three photos that showed Ritz pushing a shopping cart full of items, with Walters walking beside him. In another photo, Ritz is seen unloading items into the rear passenger side door of the Cadillac.

The store managed told police he saw a man and woman with a cart full of products bolt toward the emergency exit to an awaiting vehicle without paying for the items.

The total amount of meth seized from the car as 225.9 grams without packaging, or .49 pounds.

(Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com).