Franklin Police and Crime Stoppers are offering a cash reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of this man. He is wanted for his March 11 attempt to use two stolen credit cards to purchase $880 in gift cards at the Columbia Avenue Target. Bank computers detected the fraud attempt and declined the transactions at the point of sale, leading to this suspect walking away empty-handed. Detectives believe that the cards he tried using were stolen from a senior citizen, who was grocery shopping, at the adjacent Kroger.
Detectives want to identify two suspects who stole a communion chalice, church hymnal, and a prayer stool from a downtown Franklin church. The suspects entered the sanctuary Wednesday night, at around 9pm, through an unlocked door.
Travaris Thomas Date of Birth: 02/18/1996 419 Highland Court Lebanon, TN 37087
Franklin Police are crediting community, Crime Stoppers, and local media with the identification and arrest of two previously unknown thieves who stole $2,315 in merchandise from the Cool Springs Target. Detectives released these surveillance photos in December. Crime Stoppers tips poured in identifying two of the four suspects as 20-year-old Travaris Thomas and 42-year-old Yvette Simpson, both of Nashville. Simpson is a convicted felon with a history that includes violence.
Yvette Simpson Date of Birth: 12/25/1973 2008 9th Avenue North Nashville, TN 37208
Thomas was arrested on 03/07/2016, and Simpson on 03/08/2016. Both were charged with Felony Theft, and later released on bond. They are due in court today at 1pm. Detectives are still working to identify the remaining two suspects.
Police in Franklin are seeking a serial thief, wanted in several credit card cloning cases. Information on this suspect was first released in February, after he used a cloned credit card to make a $255 purchase at the Columbia Avenue Target. Two more cases, at the CVS Pharmacy on Farrier Lane in Franklin, have been linked to the same suspect – to the tune of nearly $500.
Tips that lead to the suspect’s identification is worth up to $1,000 with an anonymous call to Crime Stoppers: (615) 794-4000. An anonymous eTip can be submitted to Franklin Police by clicking on this link.
Winfred Gaynor Date of Birth: 02/23/1962 4013 Governor Nichols St New Orleans, LA 70106
With the help of a quick-acting victim and Walmart security, Franklin Police Officers have apprehended and charged three New Orleans residents in a credit card fraud case. It started at a Franklin Kroger, where a senior citizen was shopping, last Thursday. After the victim checked out at the store, someone stole the wallet from her purse, which was in her shopping cart, while the senior loaded groceries into her car. The victim immediately noticed the missing wallet, and went back inside to call police.
Samuel Blue Date of Birth: 01/10/1962 2327 New Orleans Street New Orleans, LA 70126
Officers worked quickly to track the victim’s missing cards, and immediately located video of the suspects using the stolen credit cards at the Franklin Walmart. Security there called police after the suspects returned, later that same night, to make a second round of purchases. Officers apprehended 54-year-old Winfred Gaynor, 54-year-old Samuel Blue, and 57-year-old Conrad White, all of Louisiana. Inside their parked car, officers discovered thousands in electronic merchandise and gift cards bought with the Franklin victim’s stolen credit cards.
Conrad White Date of Birth: 03/16/1959 2104 Iberville Street New Orleans, LA 70112
Gaynor, Blue, and White all have extensive criminal histories, and were wanted by authorities in several other states. Gaynor, charged with two counts of Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card and Criminal Impersonation (for lying about her identity), remains jailed on a $55,000 bond. Blue, charged with Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card, remains jailed on a $25,000 bond. White, also charged with Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card is free after posting a $25,000 bond.
Franklin Police are warning residents of a frightening scam popping up in Middle Tennessee. “Virtual kidnappings” have surfaced in several big cities across the U.S. over the last two years. Scammers targeted three Franklin residents, this month. During a phone call, the scammer tells their target that they have kidnapped and will kill their loved one if they do not immediately facilitate a cash wire transfer. In one of the calls, a frantic female actually pretended to be the victim’s “kidnapped” daughter before turning the phone over to a man who demanded $5,000 in exchange for the kidnapping “victim’s” life.
Criminals often use social media to learn about their phone scam victims, and their loved ones, before initiating the scam. Some scammers go so far as threatening to kill the alleged kidnapping victim if the person they called attempts to contact their “kidnapped” loved one, or authorities.
Anyone who receives one of these calls should attempt to slow the conversation down, ask for more time, and contact the alleged kidnapping victim and police. For more tips on how to handle yourself if contacted by one of these scammers, visit this section of the FBI’s website.
Today at Headquarters, Franklin Police Chief Deborah Faulkner administered the law enforcement oath to 10 new Franklin Police Officers. An exhaustive testing and evaluation process identifies the best candidates before they undergo a demanding 33-week training program designed to equip them with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to serve the Franklin community.
Three veteran officers were recognized during the ceremony, attended by fellow officers and City Administrator Eric Stuckey. Officer Jeff Carson was named January’s Officer of the Month for his role in establishing surveillance that led to the arrest of two felony shoplifters. The arrests resulted in the recovery of more than $3,000 in merchandise stolen from area retailers. Officer Jane Teeples was named February’s Officer of the Month for her role in finding a missing 90-year-old man with memory loss. The man was found to have gotten confused and locked himself in a building under construction near his home. If not for Officer Teeples’ actions, the man would have quickly deteriorated due to weather conditions, missed medications, and lack of nutrition. Toyota – Cool Springs, and Franklin Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram are proud sponsors of the Department’s Officer of the Month Program. Each month they honor a Franklin Police Officer’s accomplishment with a commemorative plaque, and a $150 check for the officer to donate to the charity of their choice.
Chief Faulkner bestowed Officer Phillip Wise with the Franklin Police Department Lifesaving Award Medal for his actions that saved a man, from himself. Officer Wise went to great lengths to locate a distraught man who was actively in the process of committing suicide. Instinct and action allowed Officer Wise to save a life that would have been, otherwise, cut short — leaving a legacy of hurt, and regret.
“I am so proud of these officers, and the differences they have made,” said Chief Deborah Faulkner. “Every member of our Department can make a difference for someone, big or small, every day that we try. That is why we wear this badge.” Today’s ceremony was attended by fellow officers, family members, and City Administrator Eric Stuckey.
At 2am Wednesday morning, officers responded to the Greystone Drive area of the Fieldstone Farms Subdivision. Witnesses there called police after seeing three suspects going through a vehicle, parked in the victim’s own driveway. Suspects ran from arriving officers, who pursed them on foot, quickly capturing two of them in nearby woods. Additional officers flooded the area and located the third suspect a short time later. All three suspects are juveniles who live in the subdivision. Each is now facing the felony charge of Auto Burglary. All three suspects were also charged with Resisting Stop/Hault/Frisk, and violating curfew. One of the suspects was also charged with drug possession.
Over the past several months, auto burglars have victimized dozens of Fieldstone Farms residents. Neighbors and police hope that these arrests send a message, especially to teens. Juvenile offenders have adopted the name “car hopping” or “car surfing” to describe going from parked car to parked car in a neighborhood, checking for unlocked doors and then stealing whatever they find inside. Items taken are as trivial as spare change, but have included things like electronics, prescription medicine, and handguns.
Parents are urged to have serious conversations with their teens about the fact that what they so casually call ‘car hopping,’ the law and victims call – burglary. Committing the felony offense of burglary comes with serious consequence to victims, juvenile suspects, and their families, and result in an unfortunate loss of the safety and security felt by their very own neighbors.
Det. Chad Pace, Chief Deborah Faulkner, Det. Darren Barnes
Nashville, TN – United States Attorney David Rivera honored two Franklin Police Detectives at a ceremony today in Nashville. Franklin Police Detectives Darren Barnes and Chad Pace were among those honored with the 2015 Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement.
In 2014, Detective Darren Barnes, assigned to the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force, was instrumental in helping to identify and track a dangerous and extremely violent Nashville bank robber to Memphis. There, he was captured during his attempted escape from a police SWAT Team. The suspect was ultimately sentenced to 25 years in federal prison. His getaway driver was sentenced to eight years.
In 2012, Detective Chad Pace worked with Murfreesboro Police and federal authorities to identify a man who stole nearly $180,000 in donation checks from the mailboxes of area churches. The man fled to Mexico, but was extradited back to the United States and ultimately sentenced to 45 months in federal prison.
“Thanks to the hard work, professionalism, and perseverance of these detectives, two criminals are off of our streets and serving lengthy federal prison sentences,” said Chief Deborah Faulkner. “I am very proud of the incredible work the men and women of the Franklin Police Department do, every day, to ensure our peace and our security. Today, I am particularly proud of Detective Barnes and Detective Pace.”
Franklin Police Department Professional, Progressive, Responsive # # #
Kevin Hudson Date of Birth: 02/13/1965 700 W. Meade Blvd. #197 Franklin, TN 37064
In February, Franklin Police asked for the public’s help with identifying this man, wanted for using a stolen credit card to buy a flat screen TV at the Mallory Lane Walmart. The February 17 forgery occurred after the victim’s credit card was stolen from her purse while she shopped at a Franklin Kroger.
Kevin Hudson, 51, of Franklin, was identified as the suspect after security surveillance photos from Walmart were released. Hudson was arrested on 03/01/2016, charged with Felony Theft, Forgery, and Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card. He is free on a $7,000 bond and due in court 03/10/2016 at 1pm.
