Athens Police charge suspect with 37 counts of encoded data fraud and one count of theft of property first degree

by Roger Murphy
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Michael Scott Ross Jr

ATHENS-On Tuesday, August 14 Athens Police Chief Floyd Johnson issued a press release concerning the arrest of one suspect in the attempt to use multiple credit/debit credit cards:

“On Tuesday, August 14 shortly after 6:00 AM the police department received a call from Trustmark Bank security advising they had two black males at their HWY 72 east location attempting to use multiple cards at the ATM. When Officer Brandon Colburn arrived he saw the males in a gray BMW pulled up to the ATM. When Colburn got out of his vehicle and approach the vehicle the two males were in they were in left and went east on US 72 at a high rate of speed. Lt. Dusty Meadows saw the vehicle turn south off US 72 on to Newby road and a short time later officers located the abandoned BMW in a parking lot on Newby Road. When officers got out of their vehicles both suspects had run from the scene. Lt. Meadows requested for the Limestone Correctional Prison tracking dogs. Sheriff Mike Blakely also sent his helicopter to assist in the search. On the scene officers located cash and mutable blank credit cards believed use to get money from ATM machines.

The dogs were able to track one of the suspects down; he was lying in a cotton field east of Newby Road. He was taken into custody by officers on the scene. The suspect was then transported to Athens Limestone Hospital for evaluation of possible medical issues. After his release he was interviewed by investigators.

Investigators obtained a search warrant for the vehicle involved in this incident and located several more credit cards and more cash. Around 12:00 today we learned the BMW had been stolen from Daily Imports on Newby Road before the incident at the bank this morning. This afternoon investigator Jonathan Caldwell charged Michael Scott Ross Jr with 37 counts of encoded data fraud and one count of theft of property first degree. Ross’s address is 2858 NW Valley Heart Drive in Atlanta GA. Ross is currently being booked at the police department and will be transferred to the county jail later this evening. More charges are probable in this case as the investigation continues.  

Our department was assisted in this case by the Limestone County Sheriff’s Department with deputies on the ground and in the air, K-9 tracking teams from Limestone Prison, Limestone County District Attorney’s office and the Alabama State Troopers.”

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