By John Estridge
A forgery charge was dismissed against a male after he was convicted in federal court on a Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud charge.
Antionne Lamar Brewster, 33, was sentenced to 46 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution due to the federal court conviction. Franklin County Prosecutor Chris Huerkamp said, in his Motion to Dismiss, the further prosecution of Brewster in Franklin Circuit Court would constitute double jeopardy.
According to an Affidavit of Probable Cause filed by Batesville Police Major Brad Wessel, he was called to the Batesville Kroger on Sunday, July 30, 2017. Employees at Kroger had reported two black males attempting to pass a bad check. And they had left the store in a maroon Chevrolet Trailblazer. Kroger employees also had a partial license number to go with the vehicle description.
On his way to Kroger, Wessel spotted a maroon SUV at the CVS parking lot. He pulled into the parking lot and parked one spot over from the SUV. The report on the partial license number was TJB. Wessel said the vehicle was a maroon GMC Envoy with the license number starting with YJB.
Wessel said there were one black female in the front passenger seat and two black males in the backseat. As Wessel approached the vehicle, he noticed a black male and black female exiting CVS and moving toward where the Envoy was parked. However, when the two people spotted Wessel, the male separated away from the female with the male saying something to the female. Wessel was too far away to hear the comment. The male then walked across Indiana 229.
But the female continued toward the Envoy. Wessel asked her if she had been at Kroger. She said no. She also denied knowing the male she exited CVS with. The female did not have any ID on her and advised Wessel of her name. She also told Wessel she did not have a driver’s license. Wessel then asked her if anyone in the vehicle had a valid driver’s license, and she said a male in the backseat had one.
However, when Wessel went to the SUV and asked for the license, the male in question said he had only an ID card with him. When Wessel ran the ID card, the dispatcher said the male in question did not have a valid driver’s license, which caused protests from the male, saying he did have a valid driver’s license.
While this was going on, the dispatcher contacted Kroger and got a description of the males who had been in the store and allegedly attempted to pass the checks. The description of one male fit one of the males in the backseat while the other description matched the male who had walked across 229. The other male in the backseat, who matched one of the descriptions, refused to identify himself and began recording Wessel on the male’s cell phone.
The female who had come out of CVS went to Steak and Shake to use the restroom. When she returned, she accused Wessel of being racist, and the male in the backseat began videotaping Wessel again.
Wessel then asked for Kroger to send him still photos off the video. The two stills matched the male who went across 229 and the male in the backseat.
At that time, Indiana State Police Sgt. Danny Hamilton and ISP Trooper Kyle Black arrived at the scene.
With the backup in place, Wessel ordered the unidentified male out of the backseat, handcuffed him and put him in the backseat of his police car. While patting the male down, Wessel found an Indiana ID card with the name Joshua Maurice Eckerson. Wessel also found a hard object in Eckerson’s front pocket. Wessel removed a lighter and when the lighter came out of the pocket, a check made out to Kroger for $105.95 and dated July 29, 2017, also came out of the pocket.
Wessel transported Eckerson to the Batesville Police Department. Before leaving the scene, he showed a photo of the other male to Hamilton. Hamilton later advised Wessel Hamilton had found the other male in question at Arby’s. Hamilton then transported that male to the BPD. That male identified himself as Dinise Smith. However, the dispatchers could not find a record of Smith through the BMV.
Through the search of Smith, Wessel found credit cards and a piece of paper with the name of Antionne Brewster. Wessel also located a Subway gift card in the male’s wallet. Dispatch was able to find an Indiana ID card for Brewster. Wessel had dispatch send him a photo on the ID card, and he said it matched Brewster.
It was found Brewster had active arrest warrants out of Indiana Parole, Boone County and Hot Springs, Colorado.
Wessel then traveled to Kroger and interviewed employees there. They said the men were attempting to purchase gift cards with the checks at different cash registers with one using a Uscan. Cashiers got together and determined the checks in question were not good and refused to take the checks.
According to Wessel, he contacted the two banks listed on the checks. Neither bank had an account with the numbers listed on the checks. When Wessel contacted the latter bank, Financial Center First Credit Union, he was advised, by a bank employee, there were several police investigations into Brewster concerning Brewster trying to pass fraudulent checks with the bank’s name on the checks. And the employee told Wessel an FBI agent was one of those investigating Brewster.
Wessel contacted the FBI agent.
Eckerson was charged with Forgery and Check Deception in Franklin County. On January 19, 2019, in a plea deal, Eckerson pleaded guilty to Check Deception with Forgery being dismissed. He was sentenced to 183 days in the Franklin County Security Center. He was also assessed fines and fees and still owes $186 as of March 6.
According to mycase.in.gov, a person with the name Joshua Eckerson has numerous felony and misdemeanor convictions in Hamilton and Marion counties in Indiana.
As a result of the investigation, Brewster was also charged with False Identity in Ripley County. He pleaded guilty and still owes $185 to Ripley County. A person with the name Antionne Lamar Brewster has numerous misdemeanor and felony convictions in Boone and Marion counties, according to mycase.in.gov.
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