Two men have been charged in a $24,000 theft from the French Meadow Bakery’s building at the Minnesota State Fair — an amount that consisted of cash on hand and two days’ worth of Fair sales.
The bakery owners reported to police that the cash was taken sometime between 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 24, and 4 a.m. Saturday at the bakery’s State Fair location, 1703 Carnes Ave., according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday.
Owner Christopher Gleize told investigators that he and his wife went to sleep in the bakery’s office, where the bed and a safe are located. The office is separated from the rest of the bakery by a locked door, a search warrant affidavit said.
According to the complaint:
The couple went to sleep about 8 p.m. Friday. At 4 a.m. Saturday, they got up and noticed the money missing from the safe.
On a surveillance video with a view of the back room and back door, police saw two men enter about 10:30 p.m. Friday. Both carried plastic promotional bags from the Fair. One man, wearing a green shirt, had a towel that he used to wipe whatever they touched. The man was later identified as Eric Massey, 50, of St. Paul.
The other man, wearing a black shirt and identified as Robert Lee Love, 52, got a tool and appeared to use it to get into the locked office. Love’s current address was listed as unknown.
The video showed both men moving in the direction of the office. They were seen “loading something into their bags before leaving,” the complaint said.
Massey was stopped in Pine County and booked into the Ramsey County Jail. He agreed to be interviewed by police and initially said he had not been to the State Fair this year.
“When advised that there was evidence to the contrary, Massey’s demeanor immediately changed and he expressed surprise,” the complaint said. Police showed him a still photo of himself inside the French Meadow building. He admitted he and Love were “inside various buildings but he claimed to not know why they did so. Massey said he was only following Love.”
He denied taking anything but said Love put items in bags and he helped. He denied receiving money from Love for his part in the burglary, the complaint said.
After obtaining a search warrant for Massey’s apartment, police found $9,368 in cash.
There is a warrant out for Love’s arrest.
Massey has “at least 14 felony convictions,” including burglary, aggravated robbery, manslaughter, offering forged checks, terroristic threats, motor vehicle theft and credit card fraud. He is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Love has five felony convictions, the complaint said, including bank robbery, theft, credit card fraud and burglary.
Emily Gurnon can be reached at 651-228-5522. Follow her at twitter.com/emilygurnon.
