January 23, 2025
Crime & Courts | Northwest Herald


Crime & Courts

Woodstock Menards employee accused of under-ringing more than $2,000 of merchandise

Employee repeatedly charged customer for only portion of sale, police say

A Menards employee faces retail theft charges after intentionally under-ringing customers, costing the store more than $2,000 in lost sales, police said.

On Tuesday, 39-year-old Vonnie R. Hansen allowed a shopper to leave the store with $341 worth of merchandise, despite having charged the customer only $17, the complaint stated.

Similar thefts occurred July 12, when Hansen is accused of charging only $4 for what should have been a $408 sale, and $39 for a $1,794 sale, police said.

The Menards at 2100 Lake Ave., Woodstock, lost about $2,416 as a result of the transactions.

Reached by phone Wednesday, the store manager declined to comment on the charges.

Authorities are in the process of reviewing video footage from the store. However, officers have not made any additional arrests, police said.

Hansen, of the 4300 block of Lathrop Drive, Woodstock, is charged with three counts of felony retail theft and one count of misdemeanor retail theft.

If convicted of the felony offense, Hansen could be sentenced to as many as five years in prison.

She’s expected to go before a judge Friday.

Hansen was on probation for cocaine possession at the time of the alleged theft. Officers arrested her and another woman in November after a months-long drug investigation, in which Hansen was accused of selling drugs to undercover officers on multiple occasions.

She accepted a plea deal to close the case in March. McHenry County Judge Sharon Prather ordered Hansen to serve two years of probation.

Hansen remained at the McHenry County Jail on Wednesday on $10,000 bond. She would need to post $1,000 bail for her release.

Katie Smith

Katie Smith

Katie reported on the crime and courts beat for the Northwest Herald from 2017 through 2021. She began her career with Shaw Media in 2015 at the Daily Chronicle in DeKalb, where she reported on the courts, city council, the local school board, and business.