Traffic stop leads to arrest of suspect in bank fraud case
WOONSOCKET – Police arrested a man with a warrant for bank fraud and passing counterfeit checks after he was pulled over for failing to stop at a stop sign Friday evening.
Police obtained an arrest warrant for Brandon Michel, 35, of Grove Street, on April 13 after an employee
at Blackstone Valley Credit Union filed a complaint against him for attempting to cash counterfeit checks, according to police documents.
Michel, who is an account holder at the credit union, tried depositing five $1,000 Western Credit Union checks in early March, which were voided because they were not payable to anyone, according to Officer Daniel Glod. He tried to cash two more $1,000 checks last month, which
were also voided. The employee, James Wood, called Western Credit Union and found that the serial numbers on the checks did not match their amounts, according to Glod’s report.
About a week later, police reviewed Michel’s bank
statements and spoke to another employee who was able to recognize a photo of
Michel and confirm that he was a customer at the credit union, according to Det. Timothy Hammond. The two employees provided witness statements, and probable cause was achieved to obtain an arrest warrant.
Friday evening, Sgt. Michael Martinsen was monitoring traffic across from the Stadium Theatre when he saw a gray Honda Accord run through a stop sign at the intersection of Main Street and
North Main Street, according to his report. Martinsen pulled the car over and, while checking Michel’s license, saw the active arrest warrant. Michel was arrested and brought to the station, where he was booked around 6:40 p.m.
In addition to the warrant felony charges of passing counterfeit bills and bank fraud, Michel received a traffic citation for failing to stop at the stop sign on North Main Street, according to police documents.