Woman charged with access device fraud
WAYNESBURG – Waynesburg Borough Police are filing charges before Greene County Magisterial District Judge Lou Dayich against a Mather woman for allegedly using a Waynesburg man’s debit card without his permission on multiple occasions in July 2014.
Tara Lashelle Hall, 33, of 612 Fourth St., faces charges of access device fraud, forgery and theft by unlawful taking for using the debit card of Steven I. Freedman of 68 W. Lincoln St., Waynesburg.
Freedman contacted police when he realized the card was missing and being used without his consent.
Waynesburg Borough police Officer Shawn Wood said he began to investigate the charges and found Freedman’s account at Community Bank in Waynesburg paid out money at various retail establishments, primarily in the Morgantown, W.Va., area.
Freedman told Wood he suspected Hall as one of two people who may be involved. Both Hall and John Griffin stayed at Freedman’s house prior to the card going missing, according to Freedman.
Wood used information garnered from Community Bank to determine establishments where the card was used after Freedman reported it stolen.
Wood said he was able to determine Hall used the card to obtain $25 in gasoline at the 7-Eleven in Waynesburg; $153.73 in smokeless tobacco products and cigarettes at the BFS in Westover, W.Va.; $120.29 in beer and cigarettes at Smoker Friendly in Morgantown, W.Va.; $9.50 in food at Hardees in Morgantown, W.Va.; and additional purchase at Smoker Friendly in Morgantown of cigarettes and lottery tickets in the amount of $64.34.
Wood said he interviewed the clerks at these locations and viewed surveillance video that clearly showed Hall making purchases. Only one of the merchants did not have video but the others provided Wood with copies of the footage. All of the stores gave Wood receipts for the corresponding transactions made utilizing Freedman’s debit card.