Iredell County Sheriff's Office detained three individuals on charges of cashing fraudulent checks, among other offenses, with two of them being subject to immigration holds, as announced in a recent social media post. Sheriff Darren Campbell informed the public of the arrests stating, "On Wednesday, May 28, 2025, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office received a call about men cashing fraudulent checks." A convenience store at 104 Houpe Road, north of Statesville, contacted the business whose checks were purportedly used to obtain over $130,000 since the beginning of May illicitly.
The employees' suspicion led to an alert to the authorities following the confirmation that the checks were forgeries. That same afternoon, the suspects returned to the scene of the crime and attempted to pass more fraudulent checks. Deputies Berrier and English quickly arrived at the location following the store's call for help. The suspects, identified as Juan Dario Carcamo, Merin Arnoldo Sorto-Mata, and Ezequiel Cruz Garcia, attempted to flee, resulting in a foot chase.
During the apprehension efforts, a perimeter was set up and sheriff’s office canines were deployed, which led to the arrest of all three suspects. Deputy Kohnstamm's canine Creek, in its first suspect apprehension, and Sergeant Hodges' canine Levi were instrumental in tracking the suspects down. Once in custody, the suspects were charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors relating to the forged checks and resisting arrest. According to the sheriff's office post, Carcamo's charges include two counts of misdemeanor resist, obstruct, and delay of a law enforcement officer, and felony charges related to the conspiracy and possession and transporting of a counterfeit instrument. His bond was set at $10,000 by Magistrate M. Russel.
Sorto-Mata faces similar misdemeanor charges and a felony conspiracy charge, with his bond set at $6,500. An immigration hold was also placed on him. Garcia is charged with misdemeanor assault on a law enforcement officer among his charges, with a bond set at $15,000 and an immigration hold as well. Meanwhile, two others, Javier Cortez and Junior Mendez, have been identified in connection with the investigation and are currently wanted on felony warrants for fraud. The investigation is ongoing and may result in further charges.
