Jason Curtis Vote, 41, was arrested last year and charged with first-degree theft, a Class C felony, and ongoing criminal conduct, a Class B felony.

According to charging documents, on more than a dozen occasions between May 1, 2021, and Nov. 22, 2021, Vote created receipts or sales transactions on the store’s registers and then processed a return on the fraudulent receipts, pocketing the money. Vote was an employee of the store at the time.

In all, Vote collected $20,770.95 from the fraudulent returns.

Vote pleaded not guilty to the charges in March 2022. After nearly a year of trial delays, Vote submitted a guilty plea pursuant to a plea agreement with the state on Feb. 6.

According to the plea agreement, Vote is pleading guilty to the first-degree theft charge and the ongoing criminal conduct charge will be dismissed.

A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for March 27. At the hearing, the state will recommend a 10-year suspended prison sentence and two years supervised probation with the Department of Correctional Services. Vote will be free to request a deferred judgment from the court.

According to the plea agreement, Vote will also be required to pay $21,670.94 in restitution to Sears Hometown Stores.