Brendan Charles Johnson, 35, of Brownsdale pleaded guilty on Thursday in Mower County District Court to felony third-degree burglary.

A charge of felony theft-take/use/transfer movable property without consent was dismissed.

The court complaint states the owner of Steve’s Pizza contacted police on May 21 after discovering the door to his office had been forced open and about $1,200 in office cash and checks had been taken.

The owner said he suspected that two previously terminated employees, including Johnson, might be responsible, according to the court complaint. An employee that closed the night before told police Johnson had come in the prior evening to pick up an order and was “acting weird.”

On May 25, police arrested Garrett Dean Lukes, 26, of Austin for driving without a valid license in a vehicle that had been rented from Minneapolis by Johnson. Inside, police found an altered check originally written to Steve’s Pizza. A search of the vehicle allegedly revealed five more written to Steve’s Pizza dated May 20.

A detective interviewed Lukes, who said that Johnson told him how to burglarize Steve’s Pizza and where the money could be located, according to the court complaint. Lukes allegedly said he stole about $1,500 and that Johnson kept the checks so he could alter them. The detective got a search warrant for Lukes’ cell phone, which allegedly showed a May 20 conversation between Lukes and Johnson planning the burglary.

A review of Johnson’s criminal record shows a prior conviction for theft. He is also currently awaiting trial on a charge of felony check forgery-offer with intent to defraud after he was allegedly caught on camera cashing a fraudulent check for $985 at Bobee Jo’s. Johnson has pleaded not guilty to that charge.

Johnson will be sentenced on Nov. 15