A Tupelo man was arrested May 12 on three counts of uttering a forgery after attempting to cash a fraudulent check at a downtown bank, city police said.
Officers responded May 6 to Bank Plus at 317 S. Gloster St. after employees reported a suspect tried to cash a check bearing the name of a local business, Tupelo police said. While employees were verifying the suspect’s information, the man fled.
Bank employees then notified officers that the suspect had cashed two additional fraudulent checks at other Tupelo bank branches earlier that day, police said.
After an investigation, police arrested Steven E. Phillips, 45, of Tupelo, on May 12 and charged him with three counts of uttering a forgery, authorities said. On May 13, Tupelo Municipal Court Judge Allen ordered Phillips held on $7,500 bond, court officials said. Police said the charges will be presented to the Lee County grand jury.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
