Six individuals were arrested on Tuesday in Chapel Hill and charged with a combined 27 felonies and 16 misdemeanors.

Chapel Hill Police Lieutenant Josh Mecimore says the incident started with a traffic stop when an officer stopped a vehicle for traveling 59 miles per hour in a 35 mile per hour zone.

“During that traffic stop, [the officer] established that the person driving had used a fake ID, handed him an ID that was not real or at least not him,” Mecimore says. “The officer dug a little further into it and was able to establish that these guys appeared to have been manufacturing credit cards.

“Stealing people’s identities and manufacturing credit cards based on real credit card numbers, making credit cards that they could swipe.”

Mecimore says officers seized property from the vehicle that supported the suspicion of forgery.

“Some items were seized during this,” he says. “I know there was a machine used to emboss credit cards, a machine used to encode the magnetic strip on credit cards, along with some fake ID’s, [and] some amount of cash.”

One odd factor in the arrest report is that all of the suspects have Georgia addresses.

“We’ve run into some situations like this before where folks appear to be traveling up and down the east coast from town to town,” Mecimore says, “breaking into cars, stealing credit card numbers, using those to encode their own credit cards and then going and charging items.”

Mecimore says, while he doesn’t know the intentions of these suspects, an example he has seen in other cases is the suspects buying electronics on the forged credit cards and then returning the items for cash.

35-year-old Nathaniel Sims is facing five felonies and three misdemeanors and is being held on a $200,000 bond.

20-year-old Ja’Boris Devanta Howard has been charged with four felonies and three misdemeanors with a $300,000 bond.

28-year-old Derwayne Raynor is facing four felonies and three misdemeanors. He is being held on a $200,000 bond.

23-year-old Antahn Deon’ta Smith has been charged with four felonies and two misdemeanors and is being held on a $200,000 bond.

25-year-old Jasmine Ila Matthews is facing four felonies and two misdemeanors. She is being held on a $200,000 bond.

And 22-year-old Deshon Lamont Cooper has been charged with six felonies and three misdemeanors. He is facing a $250,000 bond

All of the suspects are due back in Orange County Court on October 19.

Related Stories
‹
Chapel Hill Police Seek Man Accused of Repeated Thefts at Ulta Beauty Store
The Chapel Hill Police Department is asking the public to help identify a man tied to numerous larcenies at a local beauty store. The suspect, depicted in the picture below, is wanted for multiple thefts from the Ulta Beauty store at 1800 E. Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. He was recently seen leaving the store in […]
Chapel Hill Police Investigating Second Armed Robbery of Weekend
Chapel Hill Police are asking for public assistance in locating and apprehending a suspect in connection with a robbery Saturday afternoon. This is the second reported robbery of the weekend in Chapel Hill. Police said the second incident occurred in the area of Kensington Trace Condominiums around 12:20 p.m. The suspect and victim had arranged […]
Chapel Hill Police Investigating Armed Carjacking on East Franklin Street
The Chapel Hill Police Department is investigating an armed carjacking which took place at The Siena Hotel early Saturday morning. Police say they responded to initial reports of the carjacking at around 2:25 a.m. Investigators reportedly determined three men stole a vehicle outside the hotel, located at 1505 East Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, […]
Update: 2 Arrested After Gunfire at North Roberson Street
The Chapel Hill Police Department is investigating reports of shots fired at the edge of the Northside neighborhood early Wednesday morning.
Chapel Hill Police Identify, Charge Third in High-Speed Chase and Shooting From January
Chapel Hill Police delivered 17 charges stemming from the Jan. 25 shooting to 19-year-old Maurice Keys as he was held in Durham County.
Chapel Hill Police Say 12-Year-Old Reported Missing Now Safely Located
The Chapel Hill Police Department is seeking the public's help in located a 12-year-old reported missing on Monday afternoon.
Chapel Hill Crystal and Craft Shop Reports Break-In; Owner Plans to Keep Operating
A business off West Franklin Street is picking up the pieces and investigating an overnight break-in on Friday. The metaphysical and spiritual gifts shop Quantum Soul located at 109 Graham Street reported damage and stolen items to Chapel Hill Police shortly after 10 a.m. on Friday. Lynn Swain, the co-owner and operator of the store, […]
Chapel Hill Police Say 44-Year-Old Resident Now Safely Located
UPDATE: A release from Chapel Hill Police at 9:30 a.m. on Monday said Lashunda Racquel Goins has been safely located.
Chapel Hill Police Investigate Pair of Overnight Armed Robberies Reported 8 Minutes Apart
A pair of armed robberies reportedly took place less than ten minutes from each other during the early morning hours of Saturday, according to Chapel Hill Police.
Chapel Hill: National Night Out, Increased Police Downtown, Police Department Preps for Move
Chapel Hill Police Chief Celisa Lehew and Chapel Hill Media Relations Manager Alex Carrasquillo spoke with 97.9 The Hill's Andrew Stuckey on Thursday, August 1. They discussed the upcoming National Night Out event coming up on Tuesday, August 6. They also talked about increased police presence on Franklin Street, the police department's upcoming move, the 50th birthday of Chapel Hill Transit, and more.
›