Man sentenced to probation for his part in Atlantis Hobby break-in

A Mankato man has been sentenced for his part in the burglary at Atlantis Hobby last spring.

Anthony James Welsch, 34, was convicted last week in Blue Earth County Court on felony charges of receiving stolen property.  A 3rd-degree burglary charge was dismissed.

Judge Gregory J. Anderson sentenced Welsch to three years on supervised county probation.  Anderson stayed a 13-month prison sentence for three years.  Welsch was ordered to pay $12,571 in restitution and $79 in court fees by October 2026.

In April 2023, Welch and two other men broke into the downtown Mankato gaming store and ransacked the business before stealing nearly $30,000 in collectible trading cards.

Welsch eventually admitted to the burglary and showed police more than $5,000 worth of trading cards that had been taken during the incident.

Welch identified one of his co-conspirators as Stoney Ramell Johnson.  Johnson pled guilty to 3rd-degree burglary in September.  He was sentenced to 90 days in jail in November, with early release for treatment after serving 25 days, but a March 27, 2024 report indicates he violated his probation and was ordered to serve an additional 60 days in jail, again with early release for inpatient treatment.

Welsch identified Tewan Terrell Latham, of Mankato, as the third man involved in the burglary.  Latham, 43, was charged with 3rd-degree felony burglary in July 2023.  Court records say Latham failed to appear in court for his January omnibus hearing.  A warrant has been issued for his arrest.