Fake computers land Jackson man in pokey
Published 11:43 am Wednesday, November 30, 2011
A Jackson man accused of selling fake computers from the back of his car was charged with felony false pretense by Vicksburg police Tuesday evening, Chief Walter Armstrong said.
Conelle Latroy Davis, 32, 224 Keener St., was stopped about 6:30 by Officer L.J. Peters at Iowa Boulevard and U.S. 61 South following a call from a “concerned citizen,” Armstrong said.
Inside Davis’ black, late-model Dodge Charger, police found seven fake Apple iPads, one fake Apple laptop computer and three broken, repackaged computers that Davis is believed to have been offering for sale.
“We don’t know how many he may have sold,” Armstrong said this morning at police headquarters. “We are hoping anyone who purchased computer equipment from a black Charger yesterday will come forward and let us know about it.”
The person who called police said Davis, who was parked near Walmart, had offered to sell an “iPad” to him for $300, Armstrong said.
“Some people might have purchased one for a Christmas gift and not opened it yet,” he said, “so we are trying to get the word out.”
The scam iPads were packaged in bubble wrap. When police opened them, they found two glass picture frames, one printed with “Love” and the other with “Memories,” sandwiched between a scanned, printed label of computer icons and a black backing with a signature Apple logo sticker.
“That would be some memory — a memory of how they lost $300,” the chief said.
The fake Apple laptop consisted of a white, three-ring binder with notebook paper inside, wrapped in bubble wrap. Apparent power cords were wrapped extension cords.
Armstrong said the receipt for the items used to construct the scam equipment was found in the car.
Police also recovered an unspecified amount of cash, including “several hundreds,” said the chief.
Davis was being held without bond in the Issaquena County Jail. In addition to the felony charge here, he has an outstanding misdemeanor charge in Jackson, Armstrong said.