Tampa woman charged with counterfeit check

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla.- Economic Crimes detectives arrested a Tampa woman Wednesday afternoon after she tried to cash a counterfeit check at a local bank.

Employees at Florida Community Bank, located at 1225 Tamiami Trail, contacted the Sheriff’s Office Wednesday after a woman tried to cash a business check for more than $2,500.

The bank manager told deputies she had just been alerted only minutes before the woman came in that she had just been at their North Port branch attempting to cash the same check.

Ashley Jones, 26, was located shortly after she left the bank and while she was walking to a nearby gas station.

Detectives spoke with the bank’s fraud security manager, who told them that someone matching Jones’ description had attempted to cash the same check earlier Wednesday at their North Port branch and that other similar counterfeit checks had been successfully cashed on Tuesday at other Sarasota County locations.

According to the security manager, they had already investigated the checks that had been cashed and they did not look like the actual checks for the business and the business owner had not signed the checks in question.

Jones was charged with possession of a counterfeit check and criminal use of personal identification.