WILDWOOD, Fla. (TND) — A man accused of visiting four bank branches and cashing forged checks had quite a story for deputies in the months before his eventual arrest.
First, Franklin Bobby Hogans went to a bank in Florida on Jan. 5 and “presented the bank teller with the check made out to himself in the amount of $2,200 by [a construction company],” according to a detective’s affidavit for an arrest warrant.
“The defendant's name was on the check,” the report continued, “and it displayed the signature of the victim at the bottom.
“The defendant also presented the bank teller with his Florida identification card displaying his photograph.“Contact was made with the victim [name] who advised he does not know the defendant, that he never issued him a check, never signed it, and that the defendant has never worked for his company.”Apparently, that wasn't all.
Bank officials said on the same day, Hogans visited “several” other branches.
One was in Wildwood, where police said they identified Hogans and told them “during questioning that he was picked up by unidentified [men] who asked him if he wanted to make some cash, and then drove him to various bank branches when he agreed.”Wildwood police wrote in their affidavit for an arrest warrant that Hogans, on the same day, “cashed a check in the amount of $1,900 written from a check from a business account of [the same construction company].
“The check was cashed the bank and later found to be fraudulent.”It added, Hogans used his driver's license to cash the check, and the license was real because the number “is in fact the driver's license number for Franklin B. Hogans.”
As for his story, an officer wrote about meeting with Hogans “at his listed address on his identification card.
“I explained to Mr. Hogan's that I was there due to the fraudulent checks that were cashed by him at four separate [bank branches].
“Mr. Hogans advised that he did in fact cash the checks and went on to say that he had been picked up by four [men] in Leesburg and they had driven him to the four banks.“Mr. Hogans stated that he had never seen the males before, nor did he know any of them, but when he had gotten into the vehicle — a white Acura SUV — they had checks already printed out with his name on them.“Mr. Hogans advised that the males all had guns and threatened to kill him, but also stated that he was paid $500 by the males to complete the transactions.
“I explained to Mr. Hogans that it seemed unlikely that they already had checks filled out in his name since he had never met them, but Mr. Hogans stuck with the story and stated that the checks were already printed.“Due to Mr. Hogans not being within the jurisdictional boundaries of Wildwood, no arrest was made at the time.”Instead, the officer only requested an arrest warrant for uttering a false instrument and grand theft between $750 and $5,000.
Two and a half months passed and Hogans was still on the loose, but authorities came close to catching him on March 26.
That’s when a deputy reported seeing him and another man “sitting on the side parking lot curb of” a convenience store gas station. “I could see the suspects had two bicycles and a pull along cart with them.”
This third affidavit for an arrest warrant continued, describing “a consensual encounter.
“I asked both subjects for identification, which they both provided me with their Florida identification cards.
“They were identified as Franklin Hogans” and a friend. ... “I ran both subjects’ information, where dispatch advised the defendant had an active Sumter County warrant [details] for grand larceny.
“At that time, I told the defendant that he had a warrant and asked him to stand up.“As he stood up, the defendant took off running through the parking lot away from us.“I gave multiple commands to stop running, which he fled.”They chased Hogans but eventually lost him.
Now, he was going to face a charge of resisting an officer without violence.
Fast forward to the evening of April 15 in neighboring Lake County, where a deputy learned Hogans “may possibly be located at” an address in Lady Lake.
According to the arrest report, the first in this case: “I approached the residence and observed multiple male subjects inside of a shed located on the property.
“I identified myself as a Lake County deputy to the group and asked if Frank was at this location.
“Shortly after, I looked through the door open doors of the shed and visually identified Frank inside.
“I told Frank to put his hands behind his back, which he initially did.“I then attempted to secure Frank in handcuffs, at which time he pulled his arms away from me and attempted to flee.“Frank was quickly apprehended and secured in handcuffs.”Hogans, 34, served almost a month in jail until last Monday, May 13, when he was turned over to authorities in Sumter County. He has not been released.
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