By Shelley Smith
ssmith@salisburypost.com
The Salisbury Police Department arrested three people late Wednesday who are accused of using counterfeit credit cards to buy gift cards from Walmart, Police Chief Rory Collins reported today.
A tip came from the Concord Police Department less than an hour before the arrest. Concord Police were investigating a case at a Concord Walmart where three people had bought $1,000 of gift cards with a fraudulent credit card, and called the Salisbury Police to warn that the suspects could target Salisbury.
Salisbury Police called Walmart to let them know of Concord’s case, and 10 minutes later, police received word from Salisbury Walmart’s loss prevention that a female suspect was in the electronics section of the store trying to buy gift cards.
When officers arrived, they immediately arrested Michelle Latrice Bracey, 38, of 10 Idaho Drive, Sumter, S.C., who had just bought $700 in gift cards, and found several other gift cards in her purse, police said.
The investigation continued and the credit cards used to buy the gift cards came back as fraudulent — the numbers on the cards did not match the names on the cards.
“It appears the card was fake,” Police Chief Rory Collins said.
The other two suspects with Bracey were searched, as was their car, and police say they found more gift cards, credit cards and cash.
Police notified the Concord Police Department, which sent officers to Salisbury to file charges, and contacted the Secret Service, should they want to be involved in the case.
Bracey was charged with four felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses and given a $25,000 secured bond.
Don Marshall Ford Jr., 26, of 544 S. Sumter St., Sumter, S.C., was also charged with four felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses and given a $25,000 secured bond.
Terrence Antonio Edwards, 42, of 6215 Bennettsville Lane, Charlotte, was charged with four felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses and one misdemeanor count of possession of stolen goods.
The three suspects will appear in Rowan County court Friday morning.
Collins called the discovery of people using counterfeit cards “unusual” for Salisbury.