FARGO (AP) - A former sandwich shop manager is charged with theft from the business he managed for more than 2½ years.

A private investigation estimated David Kankelfitz, 37, of Fargo, stole about $95,000 while skimming from sales as the manager of The Rising Bread Co., at Fargo's West Acres mall. His attorney, Steve Light, said the business has inflated its losses, and his client will plead not guilty.

"I think, quite frankly, it's outrageous as far as their claimed dollar loss," Light said.

Kankelfitz is to make his first court appearance Thursday.

When the owners of the sandwich company noticed a sudden, unexplainable drop in their profit, they raised prices and had their staff weigh ingredients. They simplified the cash register process to reduce mistakes, and added to their employee training program.

None of it worked, so they called a private investigator.

"You never want to believe you're getting ripped off," said Seth Novak, who owns the sandwich and soup shop with partner Anthony Flach.

Virgil Anderson, the private investigator hired by Novak and Flach, estimated that about 20 percent of workers steal from their employers. And after 30 years as a private investigator, Anderson, who owns A.S.P. of Moorhead Inc., said he noticed some trends in employee theft.

Anderson said it almost always starts out small, maybe a $5 bill just to see if anybody notices.

"Pretty soon, it becomes absolutely part of their salary," Anderson said.

He said the identity of the thief usually surprises the owners.

"I've had a lot of businesses say, 'You just caught my best employee for stealing,' " Anderson said.

A criminal background check is an important precaution for employers, he said.