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On Friday, February 11, 2022, Investigators with the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office were assisted by Bainbridge Public Safety Investigators in executing a search warrant and arrest warrant at a residence on Vada Road in Climax, Georgia. BPS and DCSO Investigators had both received reports of fraudulent checks being made and passed in the month of January at various businesses in and around Bainbridge, Georgia. BPS Investigators Toby Miller and Gaston Corson contacted and shared information with DCSO Investigator Vincent Edmond about the fraudulent checks. Investigators learned that the fraudulent checks were being passed and possibly printed by Samantha Faye Parker, who lived at the address in Climax, Georgia. Prior to the search warrant being executed, BPS Investigators had obtained arrest warrants for Parker based on evidence from the incidents that had occurred in the city of Bainbridge.

Once the search warrant was executed, law enforcement officials found several items of evidence inside the house including printed fraudulent checks that contained the names of several people and area businesses that had not authorized the checks. Investigators also located several items of evidence of Identity Theft including various people’s driver’s license, credit card documents, credit cards, and tax documents.

Parker reportedly told investigators she was printing these checks using an application on her cellphone. The checks used various bank account numbers and routing numbers and named Parker as the payee.

Parker was arrested and charged with a total of 17 counts including, Printing, Negotiating, Executing False Checks, Shoplifting, and Identity Theft. Parker also faces additional charges in Grady County, Mitchell County, Dougherty County. Parker faces out of state charges Leon County, Florida; Houston County, Alabama; and Jefferson County, Florida.

This is an active investigation and more arrest and charges are pending. Anyone with information in this incident is advised to call Decatur County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Vincent Edmond at (229) 400-8020 and/or Bainbridge Public Safety Investigators Toby Miller or Garson Corson at (229) 248-2038.