Grocery shopper picks the absolute wrong line: Cashier recognizes her own stolen checks

New Orleans Times Picayune ^ | May 1, 2003 | Michelle Hunter

[geaux]

Sav-A-Center cashier Gennifer Robinson said it didn't take any real detective work to spot that a check given to her April 23 to pay for groceries was a forgery.

She immediately recognized the distinctive Looney Tunes background from her own checkbook, which had been stolen from her car along with her purse five days earlier.

And there was one more fairly strong hint: "She handed me my own driver's license," said Robinson, 20, who now laughs when she shares the story with friends, though she admits it wasn't so funny at the time.

Jefferson Parish sheriff's deputies arrested Ashlie Williams, 20, of 2026 Tupelo St., New Orleans. She was booked with seven counts of fraud under $500, forgery and illegal possession of things less than $300, according to arrest reports. She was released from the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on April 23 on a personal surety bond.

Robinson's car had been broken into and her purse stolen April 18 while she was visiting a friend in Metairie, she said. As of Wednesday afternoon, Williams had not been booked with any charges related to the theft.

Robinson, who works at the Sav-A-Center at 2900 Veterans Memorial Blvd. in Metairie, said she had just finished a break and Williams was her first customer.

Though her purse had four different forms of picture identification, Williams apparently didn't look too carefully, Robinson said. "I still don't know how she didn't realize it was me."

When Williams first wrote the check for $259.17, Robinson said she recognized the brown checkbook and Looney Tunes watermark. Her suspicions were confirmed when Williams handed over her own driver's license.

Robinson said she stayed calm and told Williams that she had to get a signature from her manager. She left Williams waiting at the register until authorities arrived.

Deputies searched Williams and found Louisiana driver's licenses and identification cards for five other women as well as several credit cards, reports said. Detectives will investigate to determine if any other charges should be filed.

Robinson said the arrest has been the talk of the store.

"Every day I come to work, people are cracking jokes, saying, 'Gennifer, write me a check.' "

[annyokie]

[annyokie]

My friend and I used to play a game regarding the purchases of other shoppers. It came to an abrupt halt when a man ahead of us purchased a fifth of vodka, a can of cat food and a small hand axe.

[pbear8]

I remember one game show contestant who told this story:

He went to the bank and used one of the withdrawal/deposit slips available there. He filled it out and handed it to the teller. She told him a wait she had to check something. A few moments later the police burst in with guns drawn and he is taken down and arrested. He has no idea why.

The FBI comes and grills him and he still doesn't know what he did wrong. They finally ask him why he handed the teller a note asking for some large amount of money. He says that he did no such thing.

Ultimately they figure you that someone had written a bank robbery note on the back of a bank slip and put it back in the stack. This guy had the misforture of using that particular slip.

Moral of the story: Check the back of deposit/withdrawal slips at the bank!

[Gwaihir]

Not surprised. At the store I manage, a fellow tried to get me to cash his check. I refused. He asked why. I pointed out that he was using my address as his own. Oops.

[LiteKeeper]

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