published: Sunday, June 21, 2009

Sebring man attempts to buy $2,700 lift kit online with stolen credit card information

By TREY CHRISTY

trey.christy@newssun.com

SEBRING -- A former supervisor at the now-closed Circuit City in Sebring was arrested last week for allegedly trying to use stolen credit card information he obtained through his job.

Derrin Davis, 24, of Sebring, faces charges of theft of more than $300 but less than $5,000, credit card fraud, and using the ID of another person without their consent.

The incident happened in August 2008 when the victim filled out a contract with credit card information but accidentally left it at the store.

The arrest report indicated that the contract was for a DSL Internet connection, not for any merchandise through the defunct chain.

Later that night the victim realized they left the information behind. They tried to contact the store later that evening but it was closed, and when they called the next day an employee stated they had left it there but "they thought someone threw it away," the report stated.

Within a week the victim received a call from the credit card issuer to tell her about suspicious activity on her card.

The transaction, through a site that specializes in lift kits for off-road vehicles, was not completed. The attempted charge was $2,779.49.

Investigators with the Highlands County Sheriff's Office contacted a Circuit City manager who was able to provide a tape of that day. The tape showed an employee picking up the contract with the credit card information and handing it to the nearest supervisor, identified in the report as Davis.

"The surveillance video shows Davis placing the contract inside a black binder where it remained through the duration of his shift," wrote Dep. Brennan Warner of the HCSO in the arrest report.

Warner continued in the report to note that Davis left Circuit City later that evening with the binder in his possession.

When officials contacted employees from the lift kit Web site, they were unable to provide a specific item purchased because the attempted purchase was voided out.

An IP address and shipping address were available to investigators, who, through records at the Highland's County Property Appraiser's Web site, reportedly linked the purchase to Davis.

The items were to be shipped to a house allegedly owned by his father.

Due to the lengthy investigation into the transaction, Davis was only arrested last week. He was booked into the Highlands County Jail late Wednesday night and was released Thursday morning on $3,000 bond.