WISCONSIN RAPIDS − The last of three defendants charged on February 12, 2023 reported armed robbery at the Food Tree, 1759 Greenfield Ave., Rudolph, was sentenced Tuesday to three years in prison.
Eugene K. Schmidt, 60, of Wausau, pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit armed robbery. As part of a plea deal, additional charges of participating in the crimes of misdemeanor larceny, misdemeanor larceny and misdemeanor shoplifting were all dismissed but taken into consideration during sentencing.
Wood County Circuit Judge Nicholas Brazeau Jr. found Schmidt guilty of the conspiracy to commit armed robbery charges and sentenced Schmidt to three years in prison, followed by five years of extended supervision.
Brazeau gave Schmidt credit for 302 days he had already served. Brazeau also ordered Schmidt to undergo all necessary counseling, maintain absolute sobriety and pay $565 in restitution to the Wisconsin Lottery.
Sadie A. Good, 36, of Wisconsin Rapids, a former employee at the Food Tree, was sentenced Dec. 11 by Wood County Circuit Judge Timothy Gebert to three years in prison and five years of extended supervision for conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
Stephanie G. Bremer, 57, of Merrill, was sentenced Feb. 9 to nine months in prison and five years’ probation for aiding and abetting the crimes of burglary and shoplifting. The armed robbery charge was reduced.
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According to the criminal complaints, Good was working alone at the Food Tree when she called 911 at 9:08 p.m. on Feb. 12, 2023, reporting an armed robbery.
Goed said a man wearing a mask, hat, gloves and dark clothing entered the gas station. She said he told her to go back, give him a bag and open the drawers, according to the complaint. The man had what she thought was pointing a gun at her.
Good said the man grabbed what he wanted from behind the register, then took her to the bathroom and zip-tied her to a handle on the wall, according to the complaint. She said she had her cell phone with her, but she couldn’t get reception. She said she used a lighter to melt one of the zippers and went outside to call for help as soon as the man left.
Good said the man took $50 worth of scratch-off tickets, six or seven packs of cigarettes and about $2,000, according to the complaint. Wood County investigators followed footprints from the parking lot through a wooded area to State 34. There were vehicle tracks on the shoulder of the highway where someone had picked up the man.
On February 14, 2023, the Wisconsin Lottery emailed a Wood County investigator that someone had attempted to cash one of the stolen lottery tickets at a gas station in Weston. The investigator discovered that a woman in a blue SUV had attempted to cash the tickets, the complaint said.
Investigators learned that the same SUV was parked outside Good’s home in Wisconsin Rapids on the same day as the robbery, the complaint said. Good was seen in the same vehicle in the Food Tree parking lot after the robbery.
Investigators spoke with Good and asked if she was involved in the armed robbery. Good denied involvement and said the SUV was not her vehicle. She owned a white Kia Soul. Good said Bremer lent her the SUV. Goed said Bremer was Schmidt’s girlfriend.
Investigators learned that the blue SUV belonged to a man in custody and that the man had loaned the SUV to Schmidt and Schmidt had let his girlfriend use it, according to the complaint.
Also on Feb. 14, a caller reported that she recognized the sweatshirt the man was wearing in a photo posted to Facebook of the robbery. The caller had donated the sweatshirt to Goodwill in Wisconsin Rapids and recognized it in the photo by a small tear in it, the complaint said.
Investigators discovered that 11 lottery tickets were redeemed at various stores in the Wausau area on Feb. 13 between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. The man who collected them matched Schmidt’s description and was driving Good’s white Kia Soul, according to the complaint.
Marathon County deputies arrested Bremer as she got into the blue SUV. They searched Bremer’s apartment and found 2 1/2 packs of cigarettes that matched the brand taken from the Food Tree. They found 116 non-winning scratch cards and $426.15.
Bremer told officers that Schmidt switched cars with Good because he thought police were after him in connection with an overdose death in Marathon County. Schmidt and Bremer stayed with Good the weekend of Feb. 11 and 12, 2023, to hide from authorities, Bremer said. While there, they learned that Good owed her drug supplier $750, according to the complaint. Schmidt needed money to “hide from law enforcement,” Bremer said.
The investigator contacted Goodwill and obtained security photos of the store. The photos showed Schmidt and Bremer in the store at 3:04 p.m. on the day of the robbery. The two put items, including boots, a bag and a sweatshirt that matched the clothing the man wore during the robbery, into a cart. Bremer went into a fitting room with several items, came out and returned only one shirt. She then left the store with the bag in her hand, according to the complaint.
Bremer said Schmidt and Good spent most of the weekend planning the robbery at the Food Tree, according to the complaint. Good told Schmidt where to find the money, and he planned to leave her tied up with zip ties.
The Food Tree’s manager said just under $8,000 and about $2,500 in lottery tickets were taken during the robbery.
Contact Karen Madden at 715-345-2245 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33.
This article originally appeared on the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune: Wausau man gets 3 years for 2023 armed robbery at Rudolph Food Tree