Samantha June Arnold, 31, of Austin pled guilty to felony second-degree burglary-unoccupied dwelling and felony fifth-degree drug possession as part of a plea agreement on Friday in Mower County District Court. She initially pleaded not guilty to the charges on Aug. 6.

A charge of gross misdemeanor theft-take/transfer movable property without owner consent will be dismissed at the sentencing.

According to the court complaint, a woman reported she had noticed a ring, valued at $800, had been stolen on July 18. Her neighbor, a relative of Arnold, told her Arnold likely stole the ring because she saw her trying to sell it on social media.

The officer spoke to the woman’s neighbor, who said she saw Arnold leaving the woman’s apartment on July 18, the complaint said. When she asked her why she was there, Arnold said she was taking care of the woman’s dogs. The neighbor said she and Arnold frequently take care of the dogs when the woman is gone and that Arnold knows where the apartment key is hidden. She said Arnold had no reason to be at the apartment and she believed Arnold was trying to sell the ring to buy drugs after seeing it on Arnold’s social media account.

On July 22, officers responded to the 800 block of First Avenue Southwest where Arnold was reportedly in the passenger seat of a car driven by Jitauna Elizabeth Guttormson. Arnold said she was there to return the ring and told Guttormson to retrieve it from a pink bag. Guttormson took out the ring, which was then returned to the victim.

The complaint states that Guttormson was nervous and on the verge of crying. When asked if she had anything illegal in the bag, Guttormson pulled out a glass methamphetamine pipe. The officer searched the bag and found jewelry, two more methamphetamine pipes and approximately three grams of methamphetamine.

A review of Arnold’s criminal history shows a prior conviction for theft-take/use/transfer movable property-no consent (attempt to commit-GOC).

Arnold will be sentenced on Jan. 3.