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Florida woman charged with fraud after allegedly targeting Casey’s General Stores
A series of suspicious stops at local Casey’s General Stores landed a Florida woman in the Putnam County Jail Friday evening.
Mayara Martinez, 26, Lakeland, Fla., faces a Level 6 felony charge over accusations that she used a fraudulent credit card or cards to purchase gift cards at several locations of the gas station chain.
The investigation began when Officer Michael Clampitt of the Bainbridge Police Department was called to the Bainbridge Casey’s at 7:44 p.m. Friday in reference to a “bad credit card.”
Clampitt learned that the woman had purchased two $100 Lowe’s gift cards with two separate credit cards, as well as a bottle of Tide detergent.
The clerk described similar dealings with the same subject on March 7, at which time the previous card was deemed fraudulent.
Calls were made to other Casey’s stores in the area and it was found a similar scenario had played out with a woman of the same description in Roachdale.
Roachdale Town Marshal Mike Mahoy asked Putnam County Dispatch to notify Montgomery County Dispatch and Casey’s stores in that area of the situation.
In the meantime, the Casey’s stores in Greencastle and Cloverdale notified dispatch that they had similar gift card purchases earlier in the evening.
The Cloverdale cashier told the dispatcher that one of the cards was declined and the subject asked the cashier to throw the card away. Cloverdale Police Sgt. Billy Wallace went to the Casey’s and retrieved the offending card.
A short while later, the Casey’s store in Crawfordsville notified Montgomery County Dispatch that the same woman was attempting to buy gift cards at the location. The Crawfordsville Police Department soon notified Putnam County Dispatch the subject was in custody.
Clampitt and Mahoy traveled to Southmont High School to shortly before 9 p.m. to meet the Crawfordsville officers and then transport the woman to the Putnam County Jail.
Mahoy attempted to inform the woman of her Miranda rights, but she did not appear to speak any English.
However, Clampitt noted that on the drive from Southmont to the jail, Martinez was able to complain that she was cold as well as that her wrist restraints were uncomfortable.
A Spanish speaking translator met the officers and Martinez at the jail. The translator read Martinez her Miranda rights and a few questions were asked, after which the subject said she no longer wanted to answer. The interview was stopped.
However, a search warrant was served on the 2018 Kia Martinez was driving. Between the car and her personal belongings the following were located: 80 gift cards of various types, two credit cards, five Lowe’s gift card holders and four Casey’s gift card receipts matching the transactions of Friday evening.
She was also found to be in possession of a Garmin GPS device with various Casey’s General Stores entered as destinations.
Martinez appeared via video in Putnam Circuit Court on Monday, at which time she entered a not-guilty plea before Judge Pro Tempore Melinda Jackman-Hanlin.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Justin Long said investigators have made limited headway in this case due to the language barrier.
Long did, however, note that her English skills are apparently good enough that her demeanor changed when her bond amount of $10,000, cash only, was announced.
Investigators believe she targeted all of the Casey’s locations in Putnam County, as well as some in Hendricks and Montgomery counties. They don’t yet know why she allegedly focused on Casey’s or what a Florida woman was doing in West Central Indiana.
“I don’t know what made her target this area,” Long said.
Martinez remains lodged at the Putnam County Jail as of Tuesday evening. A pre-trial conference has been set for June 14.
A search of Indiana court records reveals no previous cases involving a Mayara Martinez.