Police: Woman withdrew nearly $5K in fraudulent checks from account

A 21-year-old Morgan City woman was booked into jail Monday after authorities discovered she withdrew over $4,800 in fraudulent checks from a bank, Morgan City Police Chief James Blair said in a news release.
—Ywinter L. Moore, 21, of Wren Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 12:15 p.m. Monday on a warrant charging her with six counts of bank fraud.
Moore was transported from the Patterson Police Department to the Morgan City Police Department on an arrest warrant. The warrant stems from an investigation into an incident reported Jan 17.
Moore was alleged to have deposited six separate fraudulent checks, totaling over $4,800, into an account with a banking app and withdrawing the money before bank officials learned the checks were fraudulent. Moore was jailed.
Blair reported the following arrests:
—Eric L. Curtis, 28, of Front Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 10:23 a.m. Monday on a warrant charging him with probation violation and on the charges of possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, violation of uniformed controlled dangerous substance laws-drug free zone and appearing in public intoxicated.
An officer responded to the area of Seventh Street near Greenwood Street in regard to a call of an intoxicated person in the area. The officer arrived and located a person matching the provided description identified as Curtis.
During an investigation, reports indicate that Curtis appeared to be in an intoxicated condition. A warrants check was conducted and it was learned that Curtis had an active arrest warrant through the 16th Judicial District Court.
Curtis was placed under arrest and searched when the officer located suspected marijuana and drug paraphernalia. The location of the incident was within the area of a drug free zone in violation of uniformed controlled dangerous substance laws. Curtis was jailed.
—David Guzman, 34, of Norman Doucet Drive in Golden Meadow, was arrested at 11:15 p.m. Monday on the charges of simple battery and disturbing the peace intoxicated.
An officer responded to a home on Spruce Street in regard to a complaint of criminal damage to property. The officer arrived and spoke with the complainant who told the officer that Guzman had damaged two windows of the complainant’s home.
The officer located Guzman in the area moments. During an investigation, reports indicate that Guzman appeared to have been drinking and was believed to be intoxicated. Police found evidence of the alleged damage to property, and Guzman was jailed.
St. Mary Parish Sheriff Mark Hebert reported responding to 125 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrests relating to east St. Mary Parish:
—A juvenile male, 13, of Iowa, was arrested at 8:53 a.m. Saturday on the charge of indecent behavior with juveniles.
In November, a detective with the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office juvenile section received a complaint of indecent behavior with a juvenile.
During the investigation, the detective found evidence that the 13-year-old boy inappropriately touched a 4- year-old girl at a home in Amelia in April 2016. The juvenile was released to a guardian pending juvenile court proceedings.
—Wilbert Cooks, 40, of St. Charles Street in Thibodaux, was arrested at 8:18 p.m. Friday on the charge of possession of marijuana.
A deputy responded to a complaint of possible illegal drugs on the premises of a business on Lake Palourde Road in Amelia. The deputy spoke with security personnel and found evidence that Cooks dropped a small bag of marijuana on the floor. The bag of marijuana was recovered. Following the investigation, Cooks was released on a summons to appear in court May 10.
—Tommy Hardy Jr., 27, of Friendship Alley in Amelia, was arrested at 8:45 p.m. Friday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charges of direct contempt of court, speeding, operating a vehicle without a driver’s license, and failure to honor written promise to appear.
Harding turned himself in at the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office in Morgan City. A deputy transported Hardy to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Bail is set at $415.
—Antonio Collins Jr., 32, of Pluto Street in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 11:57 p.m. Friday on the charges of resisting an officer and criminal trespass.
A deputy responded to a complaint of Collins causing a disturbance at a home on Pluto Street in Bayou Vista. The deputy located Collins at the rear of the home. When Collins saw the deputy, he fled on foot. The deputy pursued him and found Collins hiding in the back of a truck.
During the subsequent investigation, the deputy found that Collins went onto a property on Pluto Street without the owner’s permission. Collins was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Collins was released on $3,500 bail.
—Jessica Foster, 35, of Verdun Lane in Verdunville, was arrested at 9:22 a.m. Saturday on the charges of disturbing the peace and resisting an officer and on warrants for failure to appear on the charges of two counts of direct contempt of court, two counts of failure to honor written promise to appear, speeding and following too closely.
A deputy located Foster at her home on the warrants. During her arrest, Foster forcefully pulled away from the deputy. Foster also yelled loudly causing a disturbance in the neighborhood. The deputy transported Foster to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Foster was released on $1,705 bail.
—Eugene Kristopher, 20, of South Kinler Street in Boutte, was arrested at 1:01 p.m. Saturday on the charges of driving with a suspended license, driving in the left lane/failure to yield and speeding in a construction zone.
A deputy patrolling Bayou Vista observed a vehicle traveling 57 mph in a 45 mph construction zone. The deputy also observed that the vehicle was traveling in the left lane. The deputy conducted a traffic stop.
While speaking with Kristopher, the driver, the deputy found that he was operating the vehicle with a suspended license. The deputy transported Kristopher to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Kristopher was released on a summons to appear in court May 10.
—Sean Rainey, 24, of Francis Street in Berwick, was arrested at 8:11 p.m. Saturday on the charge of driving with a suspended license.
A deputy was dispatched to a report of a stranded motorist on the U.S. 90 bridge in Morgan City. The deputy spoke with the driver, Rainey, and found that he was operating the vehicle with a suspended license. Rainey was released on a summons to appear in court May 10.
—Tremaine Francois, 26, on Barrow Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:45 p.m. Saturday on the charges of license plate lights required, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
A deputy patrolling Bayou Vista observed a vehicle without properly functioning license plate lights and conducted a traffic stop on La. 182. While speaking with the driver, Francois, the deputy smelled the strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle.
The deputy then observed a bag of marijuana beneath the driver’s seat of the SUV. The deputy also found a digital scale and rolling papers inside the vehicle. Following the investigation, Francois was released on a summons to appear in court May 10.
—Brian Dean, 25, of Moss Street in Lafayette, was arrested at 4:43 p.m. Sunday on the charges of theft of goods and no driver’s license.
—Derrick Williams Jr., 21, of Louisiana Avenue in Lafayette, was arrested at 4:43 p.m. Sunday on the charge of theft of goods.
A deputy investigating a complaint of shoplifting at a store in Bayou Vista issued a be-on-the-lookout bulletin for two suspects traveling in a vehicle with two stolen big screen TVs. A deputy in Franklin located the vehicle on U.S. 90 and stopped the suspect vehicle on Northwest Boulevard.
The deputy and a Franklin police officer detained the two occupants of the vehicle. The driver was identified as Dean and the passenger as Williams. The deputy observed the two stolen TVs in the back seat of the vehicle. Dean and Williams were also positively identified as the two suspects who exited the store without paying for the televisions.
The deputy transported Dean and Williams to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. No bail is set.
—Jennifer Nichols, 38, of California Street in Berwick, was arrested at 9:33 p.m. Sunday on the charges of theft of goods and possession of Klonopin.
A deputy was dispatched to a complaint of shoplifting at a store in Bayou Vista. While en route, the deputy received information that the suspect was involved in a vehicle crash prior to exiting the parking lot. The deputy made contact with the suspect and identified her as Nichols.
While speaking with her, the deputy observed items hidden on her person. Nichols admitted that she took the items from the store without paying for them. Inside the vehicle, the deputy located more stolen items and a Klonopin pill. The stolen goods totaled over $100. Nichols was jailed with no bail set.
—Jan Keller, 53, of Two Sisters Landing in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 8:26 a.m. Monday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charge of theft of goods.
Keller went to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center to visit an inmate. While at the facility, a correctional officer located the active warrant for her arrest. No bail is set.
Berwick Police Chief James Richard reported the following arrests:
—Joseph Dugas, 33, Cousins Street in Pierre Part, was arrested at 1:09 p.m. Monday on two warrants charging him with simple criminal damage to property and domestic abuse battery. Bail is set at $3,000.
—Scott Keck, 37, of Third Street in Berwick, was arrested at 2:05 p.m. Monday on the charge of domestic abuse battery. Bail is set at $2,500.
Patterson Police Chief Patrick LaSalle reported no arrests.