Woman accused of stealing more than $30,000

A Claremont woman faces a felony charge after authorities say she stole more than $30,000 from an Owatonna business.
Samantha Jo Kraudy, 34, has been charged with one count of felony theft. She is scheduled to make her first appearance Feb. 6 in Steele County District Court.
The investigation began two years ago, when law enforcement was called to a local gas station and convenience store. A district manager was there; he said Kraudy, the former manager, had been fired two weeks earlier.
Before being terminated, Kraudy was responsible for doing the bookwork for the business and taking its cash deposits to the bank. According to the criminal complaint, between Oct. 5, 2022 and Jan. 10, 2023, she took “some or all” of the various daily deposit cash amounts instead of depositing them in the bank.
In that time, the court document says, the amount of cash “was in excess of” $30,000.
If convicted, the charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $20,000 fine, or both.