Morton woman sentenced for stealing car from area parking lot

A Morton woman, Tamara Louise Smith, age 60, was sentenced in Redwood County Court last month for stealing a car from the parking lot of an area business last June.

According to court documents, on July 12, the Redwood County Sheriff’s Office was notified a Jeep Cherokee had been stolen from the Jackpot Junction Casino parking lot. The owner admitted he had left the vehicle unlocked with the keys inside. He also stated the vehicle was low on gas, and couldn’t have gotten far.

Surveillance video showed a white female entering the vehicle a little after 9 p.m., and leaving in it towards Reservation Highway 5. Another deputy looked at the surveillance footage and recognized the suspect as Tamera Smith, who had been released from the Redwood County jail the day before.

On July 17, Smith admitted to law enforcement that she drove off with the vehicle after she noted the window was down, and the keys were inside. She admitted she put $10 dollars worth of gasoline in the vehicle before driving it around for about an hour and abandoning it behind Tersteeg’s grocery store in Redwood Falls.

On Dec. 12, Tamara Louise Smith was sentenced for felony theft to 12 months, one day at the correctional facility in Shakopee, stayed for three years, 70 days local confinement, three years supervised probation, and fees and fines of $482.