Grand Meadow woman pleads guilty to beer theft

Published 8:19 am Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Morse

Athena Sue Morse, 43, of Grand Meadow, pleaded guilty to felony second-degree burglary and misdemeanor giving a false name/date of birth to a peace officer as part of a plea agreement on Monday in Mower County District Court. She initially pleaded not guilty to the charges on Sept. 25.

Morse was arrested after a neighbor reported that she entered a garage at a residence in the 500 block of Elliot Drive Southeast in Grand Meadow and walked out with a couple of bottles of beer and entered a Nissan Murano.

When a deputy confronted her, Morse was intoxicated and denied knowing anything about the beer. But when the deputy asked why law enforcement was there, she answered, “Because I went and took his beer.”

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The deputy learned Morse had given him a false name when her sister arrived at the car.

In Minnesota, felony second-degree burglary carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

Morse will be sentenced on April 26.