By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
More than $6,400 worth of merchandise was purchased Monday on credit and debit cards stolen from a vehicle in a south Salina park.
Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester said this morning that Peter Browning, 45, of Salina, reported on Tuesday that his financial cards had been stolen from his 2004 Toyota Avalon. Browning discovered that the cards were missing when he attempted to purchase some items and couldn't find the cards.
It is believed the cards were stolen while the car was parked in Jerry Ivey Memorial Park on Monday. Forrester said there was no sign of forced entry.
After checking with the financial card companies, a number of fraudulent purchases, all made on Monday in Salina, were discovered.
One of the cards was used at Dick's Sporting Goods, 2450 S. Ninth Street, to purchase $900 worth of items, Forrester said.
Surveillance video from Dick's showed a man and a woman dressed in casual clothing, hats, and COVID-19 masks using the card. Forrester said the two people were possibly Hispanic.
A bit later, another of Browning's cards was used at GameStop in the Central Mall, 2259 S. Ninth, to purchase slightly more than $1,700 worth of items, including two Sony PlayStation 5s, two controllers for the PS5s, and several video games.
Then, a card was used at Dunham's Sports, also in the Central Mall, to purchase $700 worth of sunglasses. A short while later, one of Browning's cards was used to make a second purchase in Dunham's. This time, approximately $600 worth of clothing and shoes were purchased.
A bit later, three purchases were made at Dillons, 2350 Planet Avenue. Slightly more than $500 was used to purchase some Red Bull and a VISA gift card. Then, approximately $1,000 was used to purchase Doritos, Cheetos, and two additional VISA gift cards. In the third transaction, slightly more than $1,000 was spent for a snack item and two additional VISA gift cards.
Forrester said that while two people were seen on the surveillance video from Dick's Sporting Goods, it is believed that up to four people were involved in the fraudulent use of the financial cards. He said police are awaiting additional surveillance video to help them determine who used the cards.