By Venita Fritz

Tribune-Courier General Manager

vfritz@tribunecourier.com

BENTON – Kentucky State Police are on the lookout for a man who walked into two local banks recently and made off with cash from stolen payroll checks.

Russ Claborn, Security Officer with CFSB, said the man walked into the 5th Street branch on July 20, filled out a deposit slip and requested cash back on the deposit.

Claborn said the man had account numbers for the deposit, but tellers did not request a photo identification for the cash he received, as is normally the bank’s policy.

The same man also pulled the scam just down the street at First Kentucky Bank in Benton and another bank in Mayfield on the same day.

The payroll checks had been stolen from the Lyon County EMS in Eddyville. Brett Miller, with the Kentucky State Police said the Lyon County EMS had hired a CPA firm to do their payroll and it appears the checks were taken from their office, but little else is known about the theft of the checks.

“He is obviously brazen to have pulled the scam three times,” said Miller. “He has to know we are looking for him.”

Bank officials have surveillance video of the man wanted for the scam. He is black, 5’6” -5’7” tall, wears glasses and has a medium build. Anyone with information about him should contact the Kentucky State Police in Mayfield at 270-856-3721.