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2 charged with felonies after chase from credit union to Ikea

LAWRENCE, Ind. (WISH) — Two people are facing felony charges after an attempt to cash a stolen check was thwarted, police said.

Lawrence Police Department said its officers responded just after 12:30 p.m. Wednesday to a report of a person in a car attempting to cash a stolen check in the drive-thru at the Financial Center First Credit Union, 7101 E. 56th St.

“A teller noticed the driver of the white passenger car was presenting a stolen check to cash,” said a release from Lawrence police. “The check and identification presented had been reported stolen to police the previous day by a member of the credit union following a theft from the victims vehicle. That same member was at the credit union working with staff there to close their account when the person using their stolen identification and check were presented to be cashed. The credit union declined to cash the check.”

Officers located the car as it attempted to leave the credit union parking lot, but the driver refused to stop and drove away, eventually going north on Interstate 69 to the State Road 37/116th Street exit to the parking lot of the Ikea store under construction in Fishers.

Police immobilized the vehicle in the Ikea parking lot and took the driver and passenger into custody. No one was injured in the pursuit that lasted about 15 minutes and covered about 8 miles.

The driver, Anissa DeGroat, 45, of Sparta, Tennessee, preliminarily charged with forgery, theft and fleeing law enforcement, all felonies. The passenger, Kelsey Oliver, 19, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was preliminarily charged with forgery and fraud, both felonies. A final charging decision will be made by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office next week.

Detectives are continue to determine if these same suspects had cashed stolen checks at other locations in central Indiana.

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