Brian Gauthier appears before Manitowoc County court via Zoom, January 26, 2026. (Manitowoc Co. court/Zoom)
MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Brian Gauthier was placed on probation for two years for stealing more than $5,000 in merchandise from the Menards store in Manitowoc where he was a stock worker.
Gauthier, 24, pleaded no contest Wednesday to three counts of misdemeanor retail theft. He was also ordered to pay $5,307.53 in restitution. The sentence of 30 days in jail was imposed and stayed.
Defense attorney Andrew Krajnek noted a rare but known side effect of medication Gauthier was taking at the time of the thefts is kleptomania. Gauthier has been attending counseling and returned much of the stolen merchandise, he said.
Before the sentence was issued, Gauthier declined to address the court. Judge Jerilyn Dietz credited Gauthier for seeking assistance and taking responsibility for his actions.
According to the probable cause statement, the Menards store located at 5120 Calumet Avenue reported thefts from its store by an employee. In total, 15 incidents of thefts, with values ranging from $2.38 to $2,877.81, were documented between Oct. 16 and Jan. 10.
In one example, the store security video shows, “Gauthier selecting items from the shelves and placing them into a Menards shopping cart. Gauthier even bagged up a few items in the cart. Gauthier ultimately pushed the cart containing the merchandise out of the building without any attempts to pay for said merchandise, and walked to his vehicle in the parking lot.”
Comments