THOMASVILLE — For months, the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office had been looking for a man who returned to the scene of a Thomasville crime and was arrested — his 91st arrest in Georgia. 

Marcus Benning was wanted for writing bad checks in Thomas County, He also is wanted in Decatur, Brooks, Mitchell, Colquitt, Lowndes and Muscogee counties in Georgia and in Gadsden County, Florida, and in Tennessee.

Benning, 46, 10470 U.S. 19 North, Baconton, goes to banks and opens checking accounts with the minimum amount of money required, said Lt. Tim Watkins, sheriff’s office chief investigator.

“He orders checks with high numbers and starts writing checks,” Watkins said. 

Benning writes bad checks for new merchandise, he added.

In Thomasville, Benning opened a checking account at a local bank and wrote a bad check for $1,800 in merchandise and took the brand-new merchandise to American Pawn, Watkins said.

After the pawn transaction, a store employee became suspicious and contacted the sheriff’s office.

Watkins said Benning had wanted more in exchange for the merchandise he pawned. The investigator told the employee to contact Benning and tell him the business had decided the merchandise he pawned actually was worth more than he received.

Benning returned to the store. Officers in unmarked vehicles were parked across he street and arrested the suspect in the East Jackson street pawn shop’s parking lot about 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Watkins said the merchandise pawned included a backpack blower, generator and pressure washer. The employee became suspicious when it was discovered gasoline had not been in any of the objects.

“We’ve been chasing him for months,” the investigator said.

Benning also has been soliciting money for Albany churches whose officials told Watkins they did not know Benning. 

“He’s stealing in the name of the Lord,” Watkins said.

In the suspect’s vehicle, officers found a list of people who donated to the bogus church fundraiser and the amounts each gave. Also in the truck were packages of M&Ms Benning was selling to raise money for a church — “plain and peanut,” Watkins said.

The investigator said Benning has been writing worthless checks and committing forgeries in Tennessee, Georgia and Florida since 1997.

In the Tuesday incident, he is charged with for counts of misdemeanor deposit account fraud (bad check), felony theft by deception and misdemeanor theft by deception.

Benning is being held in the Thomas County Jail in lieu of a $5,600 bond. When released from jail here, he faces charges in other Georgia counties, Florida and Tennessee.  

 

Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1820