Reward Offered for Info on Check Cashing Scam at Park National Bank

Check cashing scan suspect at Park National Bank drive-thru. 



Check cashing scan suspect at Park National Bank drive-thru. 

Licking County Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward for anyone with information leading to an arrest in a check cashing scam tied to vehicle break-ins that occurred on the night of the annual lighting of the Licking County Courthouse Square. The Heath Police Department reports on Nov. 29 there were several vehicle break-ins reported in downtown Newark and at Heath restaurants, resulting in wallets and personal information being stolen from the vehicles.

Then between Dec. 2-3, the suspect(s) used the victims personal information to pose as the victims at Park National Bank, located at 800 S. 30^th St. in Heath, and cash thousands of dollars in stolen and forged checks that were fraudulently written to the victims.

Pictures of the suspect(s), taken by the bank's drive-thru security camera, show a white female cashing the checks and driving a vehicle believed to be a dark colored Buick Lucerne.

Anyone with information on these crimes is urged to call the Licking County Crime Stoppers at 740-349-6888 or 1-888-488-9058. A special coding system protects the identity of the caller but allows for the reward to be issued at a later time.

Crime Stoppers also takes calls from persons with information about any felony. Information leading to the arrest and indictment of a felony suspect could qualify the caller for a reward as determined by the Crime Stoppers’ Board. Crime Stoppers is a non-profit organization. Reward money comes from private individuals, businesses, and foundations that see Crime Stoppers as an integral tool in the community’s fight against crime. Tax-deductible donations can be sent to: Licking County Crime Stoppers, Inc., P.O. Box 304, Newark, OH 43058-0304.