Stolen checks cost business thousands

Staff Reports

September 06, 2008 12:08 am

— MOULTRIE — A Moultrie business reported a thief had been stealing checks and cashing them fraudulently since July. The business was among the five reported incidents of theft Thursday.
An employee at Farmer’s Dolomite Lime Co., on Second Street Northeast, reported a female acquaintance wrote several company checks to herself and cashed them fraudulently between July 1 and 11:30 a.m. Thursday. The amount collected from the fraudulent checks was estimated at between $20,000 and $30,000.
Among the other incidents of property theft were reports of car stereo equipment, a lawn mower, a bicycle and an air conditioner were reported stolen. The known value of those items was $2,940. Those who reported being the victims of property theft were:
• Dorothy Montgomery, of Second Street Southeast, reported a thief threw a rock through a passenger window of her Dodge Ram truck and stole a speakerbox, a CD player and CDs Thursday.
• Teressa Allegood, of Lower Meigs Road, reported a thief stole a lawn mower from her barn between 6:15 a.m. and 8 p.m. Wednesday. The value of the stolen lawn mower was $2,000.
• Sheila Melton reported a thief stole a window air conditioning unit from her mobile home on D.H. Alderman Road in Norman Park between Aug. 29 and noon Thursday. The value of the stolen air conditioner was $800. Melton gave sheriff’s deputies the name of a male suspect.
• Dustin Paul, of Anderson Drive, reported a thief stole a Next bicycle from his front porch Thursday. The value of the stolen bicycle was $140.

Arrests
Moultrie Police
• Kenny Wayne Snipes, 35, of 193 Lower Brookfield Road in Tifton, was charged Thursday with simple battery (family violence).
• Curtis Landon Lamb, 58, of 2450 Fifth Ave. S.E., Apt. C-53, was charged Thursday with pandering.
• Sheila Marie Clements, 39, of 122 Cherry Ave., was charged Wednesday with possession of cocaine.

Colquitt County S.O.
• Luis Cordova Sifuentes, 21, of 276 Newsome Road, was charged Thursday with battery (family violence) and cruelty to children (third degree).
• Jerri Lynne Pero, 37, of 1972 Highway 37 E., was charged Thursday with issuing bad checks and two counts of probation violation.

Berlin Police
• Alfonzo Francisco, 29, of 657 Circle Road, Lot 12, was charged Thursday with obstruction, driving without a license and a window tint violation.

Georgia State Patrol
• Parker Ellis Morgan, 19, of 339 Star Circle in Norman Park, was charged Thursday with DUI, possession of marijuana less than one ounce and a seatbelt violation.

Other Incidents
Moultrie Police
• An employee at Colquitt County High School on Park Avenue reported someone spray painted graffiti all around the school Thursday.
• Henry Rollins, of Ninth Avenue Southeast, reported someone poured sugar into the gas tank of his Chrysler LHS between 5 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. Sunday.

Colquitt County S.O.
• An employee at Hancock Western Wear on Highway 319 North in Norman Park reported Thursday a known male customer purchased items using a fraudulent check May 14. The amount of the fraudulent check was $263.54.
• Shelia Weber, of Foy Street in Funston, reported someone used her Social Security number to change her address for a tax refund check and had it sent to Naples, Fla., between Feb. 1 and Thursday.
• Shawn Brown and Robert Clark, both of Robin Lane, reported someone shot a front window of their houses with a BB gun between 4:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. Thursday. Damage was $400 total.