More charges made in Steve’s Pizza burglary; Cell phone allegedly showed burglary plans
Published 8:45 am Friday, July 27, 2018

Lukes
Garrett Dean Lukes, 26, of Austin was charged on Thursday in Mower County District Court with felony third-degree burglary and felony theft-take/use/transfer movable property without consent. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court complaint states that Steve’s Pizza in Austin was burglarized on the night of May 20-21. The owner estimated that over $1,000 had been stolen.
On May 25, Lukes was arrested for allegedly driving without a valid license while driving a vehicle that had been rented from Minneapolis by Brendan Charles Johnson, 35, of Brownsdale, the complaint said. Inside, police allegedly found an altered check originally written to Steve’s Pizza. A search of the vehicle allegedly revealed five more written to Steve’s Pizza dated May 20.
A detective interviewed Lukes, who said that Johnson told him how to burglarize Steve’s Pizza and where the money could be located, according to the court complaint. Lukes allegedly said he stole about $1,500 and that Johnson kept the checks so he could alter them. The detective got a search warrant for Lukes’ cell phone, which allegedly showed a May 20 conversation between Lukes and Johnson planning the burglary.
Johnson recently pleaded guilty to a felony third-degree burglary stemming from the Steve’s Pizza burglary.
A review of Lukes’ criminal history shows prior convictions for theft.
A pre-trial has been scheduled for Oct. 25.