Two men from the Birmingham area had a surprise waiting for them when they showed up at H&R Agri-Power in Columbus on Saturday.
Investigators with the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department say Eric Malone, 31, and Roderick Jemison, 32, came to pick up equipment from the Highway 182 East business allegedly purchased with stolen credit card information. When they came to retrieve the items, deputies were waiting to arrest them.
Master Sgt. Darrell Nabors with LCSD said the purchases were made by phone. Authorities do not believe Malone or Jemison made the call. They believe the two were likely working with someone else.
The owner of the credit card, who lives out-of-state, contacted H&R Agri-Power and said there were purchases from the business that she was not responsible for, according to Nabors.
Malone and Jemison both face charges of identity theft.
The incident is still under investigation.
Nabors said the FBI may become involved because the crime happened across state lines.
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