A Carroll man charged in Carroll County District Court with lottery theft and second-degree theft, both class D felonies, was sentenced Thursday. Court records show 30-year-old Joshua Michael Hoffmann was placed on probation for three years to the Iowa Department of Correctional Services. As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, Hoffmann pled guilty to the single lottery theft count while the other charge was dismissed. A five-year prison sentence was suspended in exchange for his guilty plea. An investigation by the Carroll Police Department found Hoffmann had stolen and played lottery tickets while employed at Sparky’s One Stop in Carroll between Oct. 1 and Oct. 11 of last year. Authorities say the store experienced more than $2,200 in losses between the thefts and the money claimed from InstaPlay payouts.
