Business owners in Crenshaw County should be aware that people are coming into the county for the sole purpose of cashing counterfeit checks, according to Crenshaw County Investigator Heath Truman. In early September, Truman had seven counterfeit checks turned in to him, all from Beasley’s Store in Sardis.

“They were fake payroll checks,” Truman explained. “They will put fake names on them like Randstad or BP One Stop, and they usually have a Montgomery address on them.”

Keith West, 21, of Greenville, and Jeremy Eutsey, 20, of Montgomery, were picked up by law enforcement officers after they attempted to cash the counterfeit payroll checks at Beasley’s Store. A few days after West and Eutsey tried to cash the fake checks, Shantara Thornton, 19, of Montgomery, attempted to cash a counterfeit check at Beasley’s Store.

“She gave the owner, Randy Beasley, her military ID to cash the check with, and he kept it,” Truman said.

West and Thornton were arrested and are now out of jail on bond. Eutsey’s probation was revoked in Montgomery County.

“This is a trend that business owners need to be aware of,” Truman said, adding that Annie’s Restaurant in Luverne recently received a fake travelers’ check.

“If somebody you don’t know is coming up to you to cash a check, don’t do it. Get a detailed description of them and their vehicle, including their tag number, and get extra identification from the person. You never know if we may need that information to track down this person later.”

“If anyone has any questions about counterfeit payroll checks or counterfeit checks of any kind, don’t hesitate to call your local law enforcement,” he said.