Shortly after 4PM on Tuesday, March 26, 2013, Escambia Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the Regions Bank located at 4 East Nine Mile Road in reference to a fraud complaint. When they arrived, they were met by a Regions employee who advised them that a “customer” had tried to deposit a counter check which was written to her by a Lashanay Hodgges in the amount of $850 and the check was insufficient.
The customer claimed to be Shantela Martin, and produced identification with that name. Deputies determined that Shantela Martin had several active warrants for bad checks, and began to handcuff the subject in question. Deputies soon determined that the person they had in their custody was NOT Shantela Martin, but was actually Martin’s mother, Shantell Biggers.
At the time of the incident, Biggers was accompanied by Lashanay Hodgges who was also arrested.
Another female pulled up to the scene who said she was a friend of Biggers, and gave deputies a false name. Deputies later determined her actual identity was Louise Pinestraw, and she, too, was arrested.
The Escambia Sheriff’s Office is still seeking the whereabouts of Shantela Martin, 24, who currently has eight misdemeanor warrants for insufficient checks.
Anyone with any information on her whereabouts is asked to contact Warrants at 850-436-9747 or Crimestoppers at 850-433-7867.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Series of Blunders Leads to Multiple Fraud Arrests