Former Employee Charged with Burglarizing Edina Jeweler

A Minneapolis woman has been charged with burglarizing the Edina business where she worked for two weeks and stealing more than $3,000 worth of electronic equipment.

Sarah Rebecca Michelle Knapp, 29, is charged with third-degree burglary, a felony with a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The owner of Gail Be Designs in the 4700 block of Cahill Road, called police to report a burglary just before 10 a.m. on Dec. 6, according to the criminal complaint.

The building owner told Edina Police that the personal alarm code of a former employee, Knapp, was used to enter the building outside of normal business hours, and that $3,100 worth of electronic equipment was missing.

Knapp was hired by Gail Be Designs on Nov. 4 and requested a building key and alarm code, according to the complaint. After she left work on Nov. 16, she never returned.

The business owner contacted Knapp, and Knapp told her that she had quit. However, she never returned the building key, according to the complaint.

Surveillance video from a nearby business showed a "distinctive" vehicle driven by Knapp at the time of the theft. A vehicle with the same markings is registered to Knapp, the complaint says.

Knapp has been released from custody on a $20,000 bond. Her next hearing is scheduled Jan. 30 in Hennepin County District Court.

Like Edina Patch on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Sign up for our daily newsletter