UPDATE: Faribault man sentenced to 5 years’ probation in laptop theft case

(ABC 6 News) – A Faribault man accused of stealing $45K worth of laptops from McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, Inc., was sentenced to 5 years of supervised probation Wednesday, Oct. 4.

Carl Edward Clark, 40, pleaded guilty to 3 of 15 felony theft charges in July of this year. The remaining 12 were dismissed as part of his plea deal.

In exchange, he received a stay of adjudication, meaning the pleas and sentences will not be entered into Clark’s official record for the time being.

If Clark completes his probation, his public record will remain clear.

Clark was also given a $500 fine.

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(ABC 6 News) – UPDATE: A Faribault man amended his felony theft pleas in Dodge County Court Wednesday, July 26.

Carl Edward Clark, 40, was accused of stealing 15 Dell laptops and four Microsoft Surface Pro 4s worth around $45K from his former employer, McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, in the spring and summer of 2022.

Clark originally pleaded not guilty to 15 felony theft charges. However, at his pretrial hearing July 26, he amended his plea to guilty in three of the 15 charges.

The details of Clark’s plea agreement were not posted publicly Wednesday afternoon.

His sentencing is scheduled for October 4, 2023.

(ABC 6 News) – A Faribault man appeared in Dodge County Court Wednesday, Nov. 23 on 15 theft charges.

Carl Edward Clark, 39, is accused of stealing $45K worth of laptops from his former employer, McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, Inc., between the spring and summer of 2022.

According to court documents, McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing (MTM) was alerted to six missing Dell engineering laptops during a corporate audit in May. A tracking system showed that they were at Clark’s residence.

Clark allegedly denied taking the laptops until he was told they pinged at his address, after which he admitted to having them.

According to court documents, MTM recovered the six laptops and equipment, and fired Clark.

In June, MTM allegedly learned that Clark had 13 more devices – 9 Dell laptops and four Microsoft Surface Pro 4s.

An IT specialist at the company could tell that several of the devices were registered to Clark, his children and a woman in Faribault, according to court documents.

In August, Dodge County law enforcement executed a search warrant at Clark’s residence in the 800 block of 6th Street NW, Faribault and recovered 11 laptops MTM could tell were the company’s property, and four more that needed to be tested before MTM determined they belonged to the company.

The devices were estimated at $45,340 in value, with a “depreciation value” of $31,083.

Clark’s next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 21, 2022.