Greene County – On Tuesday afternoon, Indiana State Troopers Caleb Garvin and John Yung conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle traveling at 105mph on Interstate 69. During the course of the traffic stop, Troopers observed numerous indications that lead them to believe that criminal activity was afoot. It was ultimately discovered the vehicle was a rental and the two occupants were not authorized to drive the car. The vehicle was impounded and ISP K9 Handler Trooper Richard Klun and his K9 Partner Loki (Lo-kee) were called to the scene. After obtaining a search warrant for the vehicle, Troopers located a hidden compartment that contained a loaded firearm and equipment used to skim credit cards from gas pumps. Troopers also located four master skeleton keys used to unlock gas pump doors.
Jacob A Smith, 20, of New Mexico was taken into custody and the United States Secret Service was contacted regarding the located equipment. Smith told officers the equipment located was used to skim credit cards from gas pumps. Smith stated that once the skimmer on the gas pump is installed, information recorded on it can be retrieved by simply pulling into the parking lot and connecting via Bluetooth.
Smith was incarcerated at the Greene County Jail without incident. He has been charged at the State level with:
- Possession of a Skimming Device, a Level 6 Felony
- Possession of a Handgun without a Permit, Class A Misdemeanor
- Reckless Driving, Class B Misdemeanor
To be charged with a Federal offense, a “Skimming” case must reach a specific monetary or number of victims threshold. Troopers will continue working with the U.S. Secret Service regarding the amounts and victims related to this case.
The Indiana State Police is also working with the Bloomington Police Department to find any connection between this case and the card readers located on gas pumps in Bloomington on the same date.
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All Suspects Are Presumed Innocent Until Proven Guilty in a Court of Law
PHOTO – Jacob A. Smith
