A Rock Rapids man, who was charged with stealing several hundred dollars worth of merchandise from Ace Hardware in Storm Lake early last year, was sentenced this week in Buena Vista County District Court to serve up to ten years in prison.
45-year-old Adam Nelson was sentenced to serve up to five years for both 2nd Degree Theft and 3rd Degree Burglary, both class D felonies.
Nelson allegedly broke into Ace Hardware in Storm Lake in the early morning hours of January 28th, 2022 and stole approximately 28-hundred 50 dollars in merchandise. An investigation was launched, and police alleged similar burglaries and thefts had occurred in the tri-state area of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The investigation led to Nelson being identified as a suspect.
Storm Lake police obtained a search warrant at a Rock Rapids residence, which was executed by multiple agencies on June 15th of last year. During the search, approximately 14-thousand dollars worth of various tools were located that were allegedly stolen from theft incidents in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota. Storm Lake Police filed criminal charges against Nelson on September 1st.
A news release from the BV County Attorney’s Office says the conviction wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of Storm Lake Detective Randy Weflen, who spent several months working with agencies throughout northwest Iowa, southwest Minnesota, South Dakota, and Nebraska. Weflen’s efforts allowed several agencies to resolve a number of retail burglaries, and seek justice for those communities.
