Check Caper

I was assigned to work on a worthless check case involving three checks that had been passed at our local grocery store. The account holder had moved from the address listed on her checks. She didn't have a criminal history, didn't have any recent contacts with law enforcement, and wasn't on probation so it was difficult to find her.

As a customer service, the grocery store refuses to ask for identification when receiving checks from customers. Fortunately, they have a good video surveillance system. However, between the camera shot and the clothing that the check passer was wearing, it was difficult to say for sure whether the suspect was a male or female. My hope was that if the account holder said she didn't write the checks, she might recognize the person who had stolen them as a former neighbor, relative, etc.

After a couple of weeks I found the address of the account holder. I went to her address with the original checks, the videotape and a portable TV/VCR. When I showed her the three checks she said that she hadn't written any of them and insisted that they were forged. I told her that I had a video of the checks being passed. She said that she didn't have a VCR so I went to my squad car, got the TV/VCR and set up the unit. I began the affidavit of forgery paperwork as she was watching the tape. I instructed her that there were three separate scenes on the tape. After one concluded, she stopped the tape, turned off the unit, and said, "I don't recognize her." I told her that there were two more scenes she hadn't seen and started the tape again, watching it with her this time. As I stood there with her in front of me, I noticed that she looked similar to the person on the tape. But the face of the suspect in the video was not clear enough for an ID. I figured that if it were she on the tape, she surely would have fessed up by this point.

While this was happening, the woman's five-year-old son came into the room. He was very talkative and excited to see that there was a visitor. We exchanged names and talked about his Los Angeles Lakers pajamas for a few seconds, then he noticed the TV/VCR unit playing. He ran across the room and became very excited about the "new movies" in the house. At this point there was a shot of the suspect passing a check.

The boy immediately started shouting, "MOM, THAT'S YOU!!! MOM, THAT'S YOU!! MOM, YOU'RE ON THE MOVIE!!!!" as he pointed his finger directly at the suspect in the video.

She sat quietly for a few seconds, not responding to her son at all. This only made him shout louder and point out his mother on the video more enthusiastically. She turned around to look at me. I asked, "Is that you?" She put her head down and sheepishly said, "Yeah, it's me."

I cited her for issuance of worthless checks and gave her a warning for obstruction. She apologized numerous times for lying to me. She felt so bad in fact, that she carried the TV/VCR back to my squad car for me as I left. Her enthusiastic son waved and yelled, "Bye, Mr. Policeman!" as I drove away, totally oblivious to what he had just done to his mom.

Bernie Albright
Detective
Verona Police Dept.
Belleville, WI