Maplewood man accused of stealing supplements from four Rochester stores in one day arrested on warrant

(ABC 6 News) – A Ramsey County man accused of participating in the theft of more than $9,000 in supplements from Rochester pharmacies was arrested on a warrant Thursday.

Maplewood man Tyler Casarez, 32, faces charges of felony theft–value over $5,000 and felony conspiracy to commit theft, dating back to Jan. 12, 2023.

Casarez failed to appear in Olmsted County Court Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. A warrant was issued for his arrest.

Casarez is currently held on $20,000 bail with or without conditions.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 28.

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(ABC 6 News) – Two Ramsey County men are accused of stealing more than $9,000 in supplements from Rochester pharmacies in a single day.

Tyler Casarez, 32, faces charges of felony theft–value over $5,000 and felony conspiracy to commit theft, dating back to Jan. 12, 2023.

Michael John Alexander, 48, faces a single charge of felony theft–value over $5,000.

According to court documents, on Jan. 13, Rochester police responded to a NW store chain where they learned that two men had entered four Rochester store locations and stolen bottles of Prevagen, a supplement that claims to treat memory loss the previous day.

Based on the store locations provided in the court documents, the men stole the supplements from Hy-Vee.

The two men took turns walking through the pharmacy areas, taking all of the shelved bottles of the supplement, placed them in bags or pockets and left with them, according to court documents.

Surveillance footage showed the two suspects, as well as a third man driving a maroon Buick Lucerne they used to travel to the Hy-Vee locations.

According to the court documents, the Crossroads Drive SW store reported 57 stolen bottles of Prevagen, valued at $2,279.43.

The 6th Street NW store reported the theft of $970 in Prevagen bottles and Nicorette, and the 37th Street NW store reported 27 boxes of Prevagen and 14 bottles of CoQ10 valued at $1,916.59.

CoQ10 is a “heart health” supplement.

The West Circle Drive NW store reported 101 stolen bottles of Prevagen, valued at $4,268.

The total combined loss was $9,434.02, according to court documents.

According to court documents, later on Jan. 13, RPD learned about a fifth attempted theft at a different retail chain.

A manager told police that two men had entered the store Jan. 12, and she believed they were trying to steal items.

When store staff “deterred” the men, they both made purchases using reward accounts and credit cards, according to court documents.

One of the suspects, visible on surveillance footage in the same outfit he wore to Hy-Vee, identified himself as Tyler James Casarez during the purchase, court documents allege.

The other suspect used a payment method registered to a man whose drivers license photo did not match the security footage of the thefts.

According to court documents, police received an anonymous phone call in November, which identified the second theft suspect as Michael John Alexander.

According to court documents, Alexander’s drivers license photo showed the man from the January surveillance footage.

Alexander appeared in Olmsted County Court on the theft charge Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. He’s scheduled to appear again Feb. 27.

Casarez failed to appear in Olmsted County Court Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. He is scheduled for another appearance Jan. 23.