Mississippi man arrested for buying car with fake check, suspected of being part of multi-state ring
Published 7:20 am Friday, December 23, 2022
A Mississippi man has been arrested and is suspected of being a part of a multi-state ring of thieves who use fraudulent checks to purchase vehicles.
Yalobusha County Sheriff Jerimaine Gooch reported on social media that Elisha Lindsey, of Ridgeland, has been charged with uttering forgery after allegedly using a fraudulent check to purchase a vehicle in October.
Lindsey was charged with uttering a forgery and is in custody at the Yalobusha County Detention Center. He is suspected of being part of a multi-state ring of thieves making similar fraudulent transactions.
“The vehicle in Water Valley was obtained by false pretenses, and there are investigations underway by multiple agencies in at least two states connected to this ring,” Sheriff Gooch reported.
Lindsey of Ridgeland and another suspect allegedly used a bogus $39,000 cashier’s check to purchase a black 2015 Jeep SRT owned by a Water Valley man on October 11. The pair met the Jeep owner at the Shell station on Frostland Drive.
Sheriff Gooch reported the break in the case came on Dec. 9 when officers with the Ridgeland Police Department contacted the Yalobusha County Sheriff’s Department to report that the stolen Jeep had been recovered. The Jeep was in the impound yard and detectives with the Ridgeland Police Department set up a sting, luring the men to pick up the stolen Jeep the next day.
Sheriff Gooch explained that the Jeep had a different tag than the one registered to it, and apparently, the suspects were unaware that the Ridgeland Police Department knew it was stolen.
“I want to thank Ridgeland Police Department for their work on this case, they went above and beyond,” Sheriff Gooch explained about the cooperation.
