Woodburn Independent Online

Aurora police seek fraud suspects

Stolen checkbook, debit card and driver license used throughout state

• By: Amanda Newman  
• Published: 11/10/2009 11:52:47 AM
• Last Updated: 11/10/2009 6:07:13 PM

Photo Courtesy of APD
A Chinook Winds Casino surveillance photo of the two suspects.

Aurora police are searching for a man and woman suspected in a September fraud case ... without a clear idea of when or where the initial crime took place.
 
An Aurora man, Michael Baurer, reported to the Aurora Police Department Oct. 23 that his checkbook, debit card and associated PIN, and driver license had been stolen from his pickup and used for fraudulent activity. The crimes were more than a month old at the time, but Baurer had only recently noticed them.
 
“He was in the process of moving when the items were stolen from his pickup,” investigating APD officer Daniel Marshall said. “It’s hard to tell exactly where the theft occurred.”
 
Baurer was moving from Canby to Aurora at the time of the theft, Marshall explained. The stolen items have since been used throughout the state.
 
The male suspect made ATM withdrawals from Maurer’s account at numerous merchants from Portland to Canby Sept. 7-10, and specifically accessed Maurer’s account using the stolen debit card Sept. 8.
 
APD’s investigation found that on Sept. 14, the male and female suspect both entered the Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City and presented the stolen driver license in an attempt to cash one of the stolen checks. They also wrote several forged checks to local merchants in the Portland area; the last was Sept. 17, Marshall said.
 
Although the suspects were both captured in surveillance images at numerous locations, including Chinook Winds, APD has not released officials descriptions of the suspects because it would be difficult to speculate age and other details, Marshall said.
 
Fraud crimes are rare in the area, Marshall said – “Aurora’s usually pretty quiet” – but the unclear date and location of the theft mean it might not have occurred in the immediate locality.
 
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information on the crimes should call APD at 503-678-1284.

  (log in to rate)