Investigators have arrested a Coosa man for theft offenses that allege he has been recycling used checks and attempting to pass them at local retailers. Robert Nathan Holcomb, age 30, was arrested by police Wednesday night following a successful surveillance operation that

included a traffic stop of his vehicle at the East Rome Walmart, where he was found to be in possession of several counterfeit checks.

The Floyd County Police Department was initially contacted by Walmart regarding the suspicious checks that began appearing a few weeks ago.

Holcomb has purchased at least $1,500 worth of merchandise from local Walmart stores but has possibly visited other retailers. The man buys items from the stores with the bad checks and then returns with a receipt to get cash back from refunds.

Investigators hope to find other merchants who recognize the man, or have had checks returned by the bank.

Incidents of “check washing” have fallen off and aren’t seen as commonly as in the past, but on occasion they will appear in stores. Depending on the confidence in which a checks is passed, a clerk sometimes will accept the check for payment – only to discover several weeks later that the bank has rejected the financial instrument.

Check washing occurs when print is removed from a check face, allowing a person to alter portions of the document.

Holcomb has been charged with first degree burglary, deposit account fraud, theft by taking, theft by deception and fourth degree forgery.

(WRGA)