(BLOOMINGTON) – Bloomington Police arrested three residents after they used stolen checks to purchase more than $1,940 in merchandise from Lowes, Menards, and Walmart.
Bloomington Police began their investigation after a 59-year-old Bloomfield woman reported someone was using her checks to make purchases in Bloomington. She discovered the checks missing after she was alerted that her checking account was overdrafted.
According to police, on June 24, 2019 someone used the woman’s checks to buy $486.99 worth of items from Menards, $463.71 in items from Lowe’s and $990.82 in items from Walmart.
Police used store surveillance videos and the times of the transactions and found two females and a male making the purchases. They were all observed leaving in a black Chevrolet Avalanche pickup.
Police showed the victim the photos of the women and the man but she was unable to identify them.
Then on Tuesday morning, police received a call from Walmart that the three had returned to the store.
Offices went to the Walmart located at 220 East Third Street and arrested 42-year-old Tosha Hall, 40-year-old Anthony Hardy, and 41-year-old Jacqueline Hardy.
Jacqueline told police that she and her brother Anthony were in the process of renovating their home when she found the checks and decided to start using them.
Police say the victim had previously lived in the home but moved out, leaving some of her items behind. When she returned to gather some items, including a small safe, she found the safe had been pried open and her checkbook missing from inside.
Jacqueline and Anthony told police that they used meth and had traded some of the items they purchased for the drug. They also purchased items for their home.
Both Hall and Anthony were arrested on charges of theft. Jacqueline was charged with theft and identity deception after she gave police a false name and forgery.
