Police: Duo arrested at Orange Park loan office found with gift cards, financial papers & drugs

ORANGE PARK, Fla. – A duo in their early 30s are facing felony charges after deputies said a woman tired to take out a loan in someone else’s name, according to a report from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies arrested Zip-Po ‘Ran Car’ Mel Peters, 30, and Charles Cornelius Smith, 34.

According to an arrest report, on Wednesday morning, deputies were called to OneMain Financial after an employee reported Peters attempting to take out a loan by using the identity of a woman in her 50s who lives in Goose Creek, South Carolina.

“Financial institutions train these people to look for certain things, and the training kicked in and the person was able to pick up on it,” said News4Jax crime and safety analyst Ken Jefferson.

The employee who reported Peters told deputies that Peters was dropped off by a man who was parked in the lot in front of the building, the report said. Deputies later identified the man as Charles Smith.

According to the report, deputies found $5,000 in cash in the car along with six Navy Federal Credit Union gift cards, each worth $500. A debit card was also found.

“'Tis the season not only to be jolly but careful because this sort of crime picks up during the holiday season,” Jefferson said.

Jefferson advises shoppers with debit cards to use those cards as a credit card so thieves can’t gain access to their debit PIN. Once they have your PIN, they have access to your hard-earned cash.

The deputy who search the car also noted in the report that he found financial paperwork belonging to the South Carolina woman whose identity was being used to open a loan at OneMain Financial.

Deputies said the car also contained Hydrocodone pills, traces of meth and 1.9 grams of heroin.


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