I-70 stop yields fake credit cards

CLOVERDALE -- A Friday-morning traffic stop on Interstate 70 yielded dozens of stolen credit cards and sent four Michigan residents to the Putnam County Jail.

At 9:35 a.m., Indiana State Trooper Brent Robinson was following a 2007 Chevrolet Impala in the eastbound lanes of I-70 near the 45-mile marker, four miles east of Cloverdale. The Impala was traveling 76 mph in a 70-mph zone, then suddenly veered into the right lane without signaling and abruptly slowed to 50 mph.

Robinson stopped the vehicle and during conversations with the driver and three other occupants, noticed signs of probable criminal activity. Trooper Ian Portteus and K9 Czar were summoned to assist, with Czar giving a positive indication for the presence of illegal drugs inside the vehicle.

During a search of the Impala, trace amounts of marijuana were located throughout. At various locations in the vehicle, fraudulent credit and gift cards were located. In one hidden compartment alone, 57 fraudulent cards were found in a potato chip sack. Troopers believe the four were in possession of 64 fraudulent cards and nine cell phones related to criminal activity. All four occupants were taken to the Putnam County Jail and all charged with fraud, forgery-counterfeiting, forgery, false informing and maintaining a common nuisance.

Those charged were driver Chae M. Byrd, 19, Clinton Township, Mich.; Loreese C. Cross, 27, Detroit; Deandre A. Currie, 20, Detroit; and DeJuan L. Hampton, 21, Eastpoint, Mich.

ISP Senior Trooper DuJuan Presley-McFadden and Trooper Yan Dravigne.