Monday car theft call leads to arrest; Suspect allegedly caught with stolen items
Published 8:44 am Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Pennig
A report of a stolen car on Monday evening led to the arrest of a man who shoplifted items from Shopko.
According to Austin Police Chief Brian Krueger, a 42-year-old called police at 9:14 p.m. on Monday to report that his car, a gold 2001 Buick LeSabre, had been stolen from the Kwik Trip on Fourth Street Northwest. The man said he had filled the vehicle with gas and had left it running at the pump when he went inside. When he came out, the vehicle was gone.
Police put out the alert and were contacted by the Minnesota State Patrol with a lead on a potential suspect, Krueger said. The State Patrol said they had arrested David Allen Pennig, 57, earlier in the day on a car theft, but he was not processed into the Mower County Jail due to a medical condition.
Officers later located the Buick in the Shopko parking lot, Krueger said. While an officer was bringing the victim to pick up his car, officers made contact with Pennig as he exited Shopko. Officers noticed several bulges in his pants and found socks and shirts, with tags still attached, stuffed inside. Pennig was also wearing a pair of Buffalo blue jeans with tag still attached and a new pair of Nike tennis shoes that were still tied as if they had been newly purchased. All of the items were determined to be stolen from Shopko.
Krueger said police also found the keys to the Buick in Pennig’s pocket, as well as a counterfeit $100.
Pennig was transported to Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin and medically cleared before being taken to the Mower County Jail. He is facing possible charges of vehicle theft, shoplifting, possession of counterfeit currency and driving after revocation of his license.
A review of Pennig’s criminal record shows prior drug convictions and a domestic abuse conviction.