A Chesterton resident was booked into the Porter County Jail on Wednesday on one count of theft and one of fraud, the Porter County Sheriff’s Police said.

According to police, Laura Ann Wilemon, 22, of 1174 Chalemel Drive, was arrested on those charges at 1:40 p.m. by the PCSP.

In his probable cause affidavit, Det. Dan Koepke of the Valparaiso Police Department stated that on Oct. 15 he met with a woman who reported the theft and unauthorized use of her Chase Visa debit card. The last time she herself had used the card was on Sept. 28 at Schoop’s in Valparaiso, and on discovering the card missing on Sept. 29 contacted to Chase to cancel it. At that time she learned that the card had been used to make a purchase in the amount of $251.24 at the Target in Valparaiso, Koepke stated in his affidavit.

On Oct. 16, Koepke spoke with the Schoop’s owner, who advised that Wilemon was the cashier on duty on Sept. 28 and verified that Wilemon had in fact processed the victim’s Chase debit card. Koepke then spoke with the loss prevention officer at Target, who provided surveillance video tape of the transaction in question. “I observed a female who was wearing a multi-colored sweatshirt, which was confirmed by (the Schoop’s owner) as an article that Wilemon wore regularly to work,” Koepke stated.

In a subsequent interview, Wilemon admitted keeping the victim’s debit card after processing the transaction and using it to make the purchase at Target as well as a $20 gas purchase at Family Express, Koepke stated. “She making the transactions she has thrown the debit card away,” he added.

Theft and fraud are both Class D felonies punishable by a term of six months to three years.

Posted 1/7/2010