Cowlitz County detectives arrested a Vancouver man for allegedly passing fraudulent checks at local businesses.
Shane R. Tautfest, 25, was arrested at his home and had an outstanding warrant for forgery in Longview, according to a news release from the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office.
The detectives added identity theft and a second count of forgery to his charges.
Tautfest was one of three people suspected of accessing county residents’ checking accounts with computer-generated checks that have been used at stores in Woodland, Longview, Kelso, Vancouver and Portland.
The sheriff’s office got several tips from the public following last week’s release of the suspects’ photos that led to Tautfest’s arrest. Detectives also identified the other two suspects. The second male suspect has pending identity theft charges in Clark County.
The sheriff’s office anticipates filing felony charges on these two suspects, the news release said.
