An alert Panera Bread employee recognized counterfeit dough being passed by a customer and helped stop a forged currency crime spree.
On Thursday, September 15, at 10:43 a.m., deputies responded to Stafford Market Place for fraud at a Panera Bread. The staff told police the suspect had attempted to pass a bogus bill for his order.
The man gave up and left the forged $100 bill, and fled in a grey Lexus, police said.
Police found the car in the shopping plaza unoccupied, near a Jersey Mike’s Subs. Sergeant A.I. Assur canvassed nearby businesses, correctly guessing the suspect would be passing more counterfeit C-notes. Sgt. Assur’s hunch paid off as he located the suspect holding an iced Starbucks coffee inside Jersey Mike’s.
As the suspect exited the sub shop, Sgt. Assur approached him and asked to speak with him. The suspect sprinted away, along the front of the strip mall toward a Best Buy store. Sgt. Assur gave chase, while the suspect tossed his coffee onto the sidewalk, police said.
The suspect continued dashing through the shopping center and past a Five Guys restaurant. The foot pursuit continued all the way back to the suspect’s vehicle, where another law enforcement officer, Deputy C.M. Ramirez stood.
Deputies the suspect to the ground, and he initially complied. However, as Deputy Ramirez handcuffed the suspect, he resisted and received a dose of OC Spray.
The suspect was treated for the spray.
Sgt. Assur determined fictitious funds had been passed at Starbucks and Bob Evans as well.
Cinquan Cartledge, 28, of Washington, D.C., was charged with possessing fraudulent currency, uttering fraudulent currency, and obstruction, police said.
He was held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.
This is an ongoing investigation. Businesses are asked to check their $100 bills to ensure they were not victims of this suspect.
