A woman from Indiana has been tracked down and arrested after allegedly cashing a forged $4,000 check at a credit union in Trailwinds Village in Wildwood.
Kimberly Jo Matthews, 38, of Medaryville, Indiana, was identified as the suspect in the March 24 fraud incident at the Florida Credit Union on Seven Mile Drive, located in Trailwinds Village. A warrant was arrested for her arrest and she was taken into custody this past week.
According to an arrest affidavit from the Wildwood Police Department, detectives were tipped off by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, which had been investigating Matthews in a related case involving grand theft and the misuse of personal identification information. To confirm her identity, investigators reached out to a detective with the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office in Indiana, who positively identified Matthews due to multiple previous interactions with her and her family.
Surveillance video from the Florida Credit Union showed Matthews entering the branch. She approached the counter, retrieved a bank check from her purse, and provided the teller with her driver’s license. Matthews then endorsed the check in front of the teller.
The teller took the check to a second employee and a manager to ask questions about it. The manager appeared to review the victim’s account information and make a phone call. However, the transaction was ultimately approved, and the teller handed Matthews $4,000 in cash before she exited the building.
Matthews is facing a felony fraud charge for uttering a false bank bill, check, or draft. She continues to be held on $2,500 bond at the Sumter County Detention Center.