FAIRMONT — A Delavan man is facing a felony charge in Martin County.

Christopher Michael Hill, 41, has been charged with theft, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

According to the complaint:

On Aug. 31, Fairmont police officers were dispatched to the Super America at the corner of Fourth and State streets in Fairmont. An officer spoke with the regional manager and store manager. They explained that they caught the “Valley News” delivery man taking a carton of Marlboro red cigarettes from behind the counter. They said the man left the store without paying for the cigarettes.

The officer viewed the video surveillance and observed a male go behind the counter, take a carton of cigarettes off the shelf, lift his shirt and place the carton underneath. The man then walked to the back of the store, adjusting his shirt. At the back of the store, he grabbed a stack of magazines, which he does every Friday, and then left.

The officer also spoke with an employee, who said she got to the store around 4:47 a.m., walked in, went to the front counter and counted 14 cartons of Marlboro red cigarettes, then walked to the back of the store to disarm the alarm. She said the male delivery driver came to the back of the store and then left. She said that after he left the store, she counted only 13 cartons of cigarettes.

The regional manager said he has audits since January 2018 showing the store has been missing cartons of Marlboro red cigarettes on a regular basis. He showed documents reflecting an unusual number of the cartons were not on hand each month.

On Sept. 7, officers were advised the male driver again took another carton of cigarettes. Video surveillance showed the man repeat his procedure from the previous video.

A carton of Marlboro cigarettes retails at $88.39. Super America has documented that 25 cartons of cigarettes have been taken by the male from January to present. The total amount of loss would be about $2,210.

On Sept. 14, Fairmont police officers set up a sting operation. An officer observed that Hill noticed him and quickly took an object from underneath his shirt and threw it to the rear of the van. The officer told Hill he knew what he was doing and Hill handed the carton to the officer. Hill was placed under arrest and transported to the Martin County jail.

At the jail, Hill was read his rights and agreed to answer questions, saying he had been employed as a Valley News driver for about four years. Hill initially said he had only been stealing the cigarettes for over a month, but the officer advised that Super America had been conducting an investigation. Hill then admitted he began stealing the cartons in January.