A Johnson City man faces multiple charges after police say he forged a check and passed it off at an Elizabethton business.
Officers of the Carter County Sheriff’s Office arrested Macel Dewain Marlow, 55, of Johnson City, on Wednesday on a warrant him with forgery, theft of property under $500 and criminal impersonation. The warrant for Marlow’s arrest was taken out by Elizabethton Police Department Investigator Todd Hamm in connection with a June 2015 incident.
On June 24, 2015, an employee of a convenience store located in Elizabethton called 911 to report a fraudulent check. The store manager told officers that on June 20, 2015, at 11:44 p.m., a white male entered the store and presented a ComData Comcheck in the amount of $200 to the clerk on duty.
“ComData checks are used when a payer — shipper or a broker — that has an account with the company ComData issues ‘Comchecks’ to drivers for services rendered or as a fuel advance,” Hamm said. “They do so in a predetermined amount and the clerk can verify the check has been activated by calling an 800 number and receiving an authorization number.”
“The authorization number had already been written in when the check was presented,” he added. “The clerk was not familiar with Comchecks and did not call to verify the check prior to cashing it.”
The man then used the check to purchase $50 in fuel and a carton of cigarettes, Hamm said.
“The male identified himself as David Hamby and advised the clerk that he had spoken to another manager about setting limits on Fleet cards and would be back on Monday,” Hamm said. “The Comcheck was later found to be invalid and the manager who the male advised he had spoken to was not aware of any such conversation regarding Fleet cards.”
Using video surveillance from the store, investigators were able to identify the man who passed the check as Macel Marlow, Hamm said. The clerk who accepted the check also picked Marlow out of a photographic line up as the man who presented the check at the store.
“A check of Mr. Marlow’s criminal history revealed that he had extensive criminal records in at least nine states regarding forgeries and fraudulent checks,” Hamm said. One of his known aliases a was listed as David Hamby.”
The warrant for Marlow’s arrest was issued in July 2015 and on Wednesday afternoon he was arrested by officers.