An alert Police Officer captured a couple suspected in a string of forgery and fraud crimes on Friday, June 2, 2017. After receiving a report hours earlier in the shift about a male and female using cards that a merchant believed were fraudulent, the patrol officer later found the car the suspects were using. He stopped the car and located the suspects he had been trying to find.
After some field investigation and overcoming the false name the suspect initially used, officers arrested Joshua Lee Maddux, 37 years old, from Bakersfield. They also arrested Lorine May Miears, 23, also of Bakersfield. Officers found forged money, fake identification and forged credit cards. They also found equipment to make the forgeries and stolen mail and other documents with identifying information.
"This case is an important reminder of why basic identity theft protections are so important,” said Detective Wesley Nezik. "Checking mail daily, shredding documents containing your personal information and checking your account for suspicious charges make it harder for someone to steal your identity."
Drugs and paraphernalia were also located. Maddux was booked into the Sacramento County Jail for forgery and related charges and his bail was set at $585,000. He also has arrest warrants from Los Angeles and Kern counties. Miears was booked for several forgery and fraud related charges and her bail was set at $35,000. Both suspects are due in court on June 6th. Booking photos of Maddux and Miears are attached.
