Travis Taylor had a system.
He’d walk up to a cashier at a fast-food restaurant and ask for change for a dollar. Sometimes he’d pretend to make a small order. When the store employee opened the register, Taylor made his move, according to charges laid out against him in a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court.
With the drawer ajar, Taylor would reach in, grab the cash inside and run, the complaint said. He pulled the stunt at least four times in Ramsey County this past summer and engaged in similar thefts in Hennepin and Dakota counties, court documents say.
Taylor, 32, of Apple Valley was charged Tuesday with one count of first-degree aggravated robbery and three counts of theft for his actions in Ramsey County, the complaint said.
The thefts took place at a Little Caesar’s and a Burger King in Mounds View, as well as a Papa John’s and Arby’s in Arden Hills.
On one occasion, Taylor told a cashier “I’m sorry, I need this,” before running off with the register’s contents, court documents say. In another incident, Taylor allegedly hit an employee in the mouth as she attempted to open the drawer, causing her to bleed.
She told police the thief laughed as he ran away with $70.
He was stopped Aug. 23 when he attempted a similar robbery at a CVS in New Hope, court documents say.
In that instance, Taylor was arrested at the scene. Three of the store employees involved in the Ramsey County thefts later identified him in a photo lineup as the same person who had robbed their stores, the criminal complaint said.
In a statement made to police, Taylor said he didn’t remember the thefts because he had been high on drugs, but he acknowledged they were consistent with crimes he’d committed. He also said he didn’t recall assaulting any employees and said he hadn’t “intended to hurt anyone.”
Taylor was convicted of five felonies in Hennepin County in November for similar conduct. He also faces charges in Dakota County.
