Car Alarm, Weed Smell Leads to Forgery Bust, Police Say

Police arrested a New York City woman late last month at the Abington Target for felony forgery charges … after her car alarm went off.

Marvetta Owens, 20, of Adelphi Street, New York City, was arrested Jan. 29 at about 8:30 p.m. in the Target parking lot after police noticed a car alarm blaring from an SUV parked in the upper parking lot.

According to police, the vehicle, a red Ford Escape smelled strongly of burnt marijuana. It was occupied by three people, including Owens, who was sitting in the rear bench seat.

The vehicle’s driver, Tevin T. Samuel, 20, of Macon Street, New York City, was arrested for possessing a small amount of marijuana.

According to police, there were receipts in the glove box dated Jan. 29 from the Target in Abington and a Target in Philadelphia, for large purchases in which it appeared that hundreds of dollars’ worth of Traveler’s Checks had been used to make the purchases. There were also several plastic Target bags containing Target merchandise in the rear of the vehicle.

Police said they found a composition book with the name “Marvetta Owens” written on it which contained several names and addresses from the Brooklyn area, as well as a folded American Express Travelers Cheques for $100, which had Owens’ signiture on it.

A Target loss prevention officer provided police with eight counterfeit $100 travelers checks that Owens had used to make purchases, police said. The checks did not have the security thread running through them and did not have a watermark.  The bills had all been signed by Owens, police said.

Owens made one purchase for $382 at 8:02 p.m. and other purchase for $344 seven minutes later.

According to police, a representative from American Express told the Target loss prevention officer that the checks were counterfeit.

At the police station, Owens said that she had four more fraudulent travelers Checks concealed in her bra. They were recovered.