MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 27-year-old man from Blaine has been charged with theft, after police said he stole an iPad in an effort to buy methamphetamine.

Charges filed in Dakota County Court state Scott Eugene James Lehmann stole the tablet device from Jesse Jay Cherrier, after Lehmann agreed to meet Cherrier in West St. Paul last April to buy the iPad for about $1,000.

According to the charges, once Lehmann was inside Cherrier’s SUV to talk about the transaction, he took the iPad. Cherrier, who does have a gun permit, responded by firing a single shot from his handgun into the air as Lehmann ran away. The shell casing was found about 100 feet from a high school in West St. Paul.

Using surveillance images from a nearby business that captured the incident, police were able to identify Lehmann. When questioned, police said Lehmann admitted to taking the iPad so that he could buy meth.

If convicted of felony theft, Lehmann could face up to five years in prison or up to $10,000 in fines.