NEWPORT — Chief Travis Bingham reports that the Newport Police Department arrested a man on multiple charges after he allegedly passed forged checks totaling more than $10,000.
JAMES JEFFRIES, AGE 40, of BURLINGTON was arrested and charged with:
- False Pretenses and Tokens
- Forgery/Counterfeit
- Grand Larceny
- Uttering a Forged Instrument
- Counterfeiting Paper Money
On Monday, Oct. 17, at 3:17 p.m., Newport Police were dispatched to Community National Bank for a report of a man at the counter attempting to cash what bank staff believed to be a forged check.
Through an initial on-scene investigation, responding officers learned that JEFFRIES, who does not live near Newport, had attempted to cash a check for a company from Berlin. Police also learned that the bank called the company named on the check, and representatives there indicated they did not know JEFFRIES and had not written a check to him.
A short time later, police transported JEFFRIES to the police station in order to continue their investigation. JEFFRIES provided varying accounts of how he came into possession of the check. Officers also determined that other checks had been cashed in other jurisdictions, totaling $10,854, and following a search prior to his being taken into custody, officers located a counterfeit $100 bill.
Throughout the investigation, JEFFRIES allegedly indicated he’d been driven to Community National Bank and other banks by two individuals he did not know and could not contact.
JEFFRIES was placed under arrest and was held pending arraignment, which was scheduled for today.
These are allegations. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty.
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