Detainer filed in case of alleged baby formula theft in Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA — A detainer has been placed in the file of a Minneapolis man accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of baby formula from the Alexandria Walmart.

The document was filed in Douglas County District Court in the case of Leslie Gene Robinson, 60, who is charged with felony theft — theft of moveable property with a value in excess of $5,000. The maximum sentence for the charge is 10 years imprisonment and a $20,000 fine.

In the United States, a detainer in the context of criminal law is a request filed by a criminal justice agency with the institution in which a prisoner is incarcerated, asking the institution either to hold the prisoner for the agency or to notify the agency when release of the prisoner is imminent.

Under the Interstate Agreement on Detainers and the Uniform Mandatory Disposition of Detainers Act, Robinson has the right to request disposition of his charges by sending a request to the prosecutor and the appropriate court. Once they receive the request, they have 180 days to bring Robinson to trial or otherwise resolve the charges, unless the court having jurisdiction of the matter grants a necessary or reasonable continuance.

Robinson currently is incarcerated at the facility in St. Cloud, under the charges of felony theft and soliciting a juvenile to commit a criminal act.

The charges for which he was incarcerated stem from an incident in 2020 when Robinson and two juvenile females left a Target store in Rochester with $1,504.07 worth of baby formula.

According to court documents, Robinson is responsible for the theft of more than $40,000 worth of baby formula at Target stores alone.

In Douglas County, Robinson is charged with felony theft, following a trio of incidents in 2021 in which he is alleged to have entered the Alexandria Walmart and taken large amounts of baby formula, among other items.

A Douglas County warrant was filed against Robinson on May 26, and according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections, he was incarcerated on that same day. His anticipated release date is Oct. 23, 2023.

Robinson has a long criminal history, with 88 cases disposed in the state of Minnesota, dating back to 1978. He also has at least 40 cases pending against him in the state.

The warrant against him also listed 25 aliases, including Lesley Gene Baker, Tim Baker, Carl Francis Fairbank, Carl Francis Gene and Charles Raymond Robinson.