A woman punched a Dollar Tree cashier in the neck and tried to leave with unpaid merchandise from the Dilworth store, according to charges.
Brittany Rose Heinonen, 37, of Fargo, faces charges of simple robbery, fifth-degree assault with two or more prior convictions in three years, theft and obstructing legal process.
According to the complaint, officers were dispatched to the Dollar Tree in Dilworth at about 6:27 p.m. on September 26 after a report that a customer had punched an employee while attempting to take merchandise from the store. The cashier told officers that a female customer, later identified as Heinonen, removed items from her pockets and placed them on the checkout counter. The cashier scanned the items and bagged them, but Heinonen did not attempt to pay and began putting some of the items back into her pockets.
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The complaint states that Heinonen grabbed the plastic bag containing additional unpaid merchandise and tried to walk past the first set of doors. The cashier told Heinonen she could not leave with the unpaid items and tried to retrieve the bag, leading to a struggle. Heinonen then pushed and punched the cashier in the neck. A male staff member heard the commotion and helped recover the merchandise and get Heinonen out of the store.
A Clay County sheriff’s deputy near the Aldi store was told by a man that Heinonen was walking toward it; when she saw the squad car, she turned and walked back toward the Dollar Tree. Officers took Heinonen into custody, but the complaint states she resisted, attempted to spit at officers and refused to get into the squad vehicle.
Officers reviewed surveillance footage from the store, which showed Heinonen at the checkout lane, placing items on the counter and taking items without paying. The video also showed Heinonen pushing and punching the cashier as the cashier tried to recover the merchandise. The total value of the items Heinonen attempted to take was $28.00.
The complaint says Heinonen has two prior misdemeanor assault convictions in the past three years: a fifth-degree assault conviction in Clay County, Minnesota on December 10, 2025 and a simple assault-fire or emergency personnel conviction in Cass County, North Dakota on August 21, 2025.
The charges were filed September 28 in Clay County District Court.
About This Charge
Minnesota distinguishes simple robbery (§ 609.24, up to 10 years) from aggravated robbery (§ 609.245), which the state may charge on either of two independent grounds: being armed with a dangerous weapon (real, simulated or implied), or inflicting bodily harm, with no weapon required. First-degree aggravated robbery carries up to 20 years; second-degree up to 15. Carjacking is charged under § 609.247.
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