A fraudulent check scheme was thwarted this week in Waterloo.

On Wednesday, the Waterloo Police Department was dispatched to Dieterich Bank at 1405 N. Illinois Route 3 in reference to a check forgery in progress.

A bank employee said a female had just attempted to cash a large-sum fraudulent check, but left on foot without the check. WPD officers arrived in the area and developed information of a red sedan that had just left as a possible suspect vehicle. A Monroe County Sheriff’s Department deputy located the car with out-of-state license plates and illegal window tinting traveling north on Route 3 a short time later. A traffic stop was initiated and upon making contact with the occupants, a female in the passenger seat matched the suspect description given by the bank employee. Officers also found additional checks within the car. Both the driver and female passenger were taken into custody and placed on a 48-hour hold.

It was determined from the Dieterich Bank location in Waterloo that other Dieterich Bank branches in Breese, Effingham and Newton were confirmed to have fraudulent checks cashed at their locations utilizing the same victim – that being a Red Bud company – on said fraudulent checks.

Search warrants were executed on the suspects’ cellular phone with assistance from the Columbia Police Department, which yielded further evidence of a fraudulent check cashing scheme.

The suspects were identified as Aunesty E. Cole from Oklahoma and Isaiah R. Hill from Texas. At this time, police said they are each charged with one count of forgery.

The WPD said it is working with other agencies in reference to possible co-conspirators in other jurisdictions.