Hearing in theft case pending

SANDPOINT — A preliminary hearing is still pending for a former Oldtown grocery store manager accused of using bogus cash register transactions to skim money from the store’s tills.

Jasen W. Johnson is charged with two counts of grand theft and remains free on his own recognizance. The hearing to determine if he should be made to stand trial on the felony charges is set for Oct. 21.

A preliminary hearing had been set for July, although it was put on hold because of a scheduling conflict involving Johnson’s defense counsel, Sandpoint attorney Bryce Powell. The state agreed to a continuance and Johnson waived his right to a timely hearing.

Johnson, 47, of Oldtown, is accused of committing the thefts on several occasions last May while managing Family Foods. The two counts cover roughly the same time period, although they are structured differently to give the state two methods of proving the same offense.

The amount of money involved has not been disclosed, although the sum exceeds $1,000, court documents show.

Testimony from a probable cause hearing alleges Johnson committed the thefts by entering bunk merchandise returns into the store’s computer system and pocketing the cash. The state contends Johnson attempted to cover his tracks by postdating the transactions to the store’s busiest periods so they would be less conspicuous.

Johnson was arrested in June on a $50,000 warrant, but a judge later found him not to be a flight risk, court records indicate. In exchange for his release, Johnson was ordered to surrender his passport and barred from contacting potential witnesses in the case.