An Arnold Police officer was almost hit by an SUV on Feb. 4 when he attempted to stop a man and woman who allegedly were involved in a scheme to cash a fraudulent check at Carrollton Bank, Detective Lt. Jason Valentine said.
Police were called at 11:16 a.m. to the bank at 1925 Richardson Road when a 36-year-old Barnhart woman allegedly tried to cash a fake check for $720. The bank employee became suspicious of the transaction because the account, which belongs to a 32-year-old Imperial man, did not have the funds available to cover the check, the report.
The employee initially contacted the Imperial man, who is a bank client, about the check, and he told her he had not written the check. He said the check was likely stolen from his mailbox, according to the report.
When an officer arrived at the bank, the woman was still inside. The woman reportedly had arrived at the bank in a silver Mitsubishi Outlander, which was still in the parking lot. A man was sitting in the driver’s seat, and the officer parked behind the SUV, the report said.
The officer discovered the Iowa license plate on the SUV was not registered to the Mitsubishi, and he got out of the patrol vehicle to talk to the driver. However, when the man in the SUV saw the officer, he allegedly drove away, nearly striking the officer, Arnold Police reported.
The man reportedly drove over a curb and through landscaping before getting onto an access road and then turning onto Richardson Road. The officer got into his vehicle and started to pursue the SUV, which turned onto northbound I-55, the report said.
While on the interstate, the SUV weaved in and out of traffic and allegedly drove at speeds of more than 100 mph. The officer terminated the pursuit because of weather conditions and the amount of traffic on the interstate, according to the report.
While the officer was chasing the SUV and other officers were arriving, the woman left the bank and disappeared, the report said.
As of Feb. 5, the woman had not been located, and the man had not been identified, Valentine said. Anyone with information about the incident should call Arnold Police at 636-296-3204.