CUMMING — One man was arrested Tuesday while local investigators continue to search for at least three more suspects in connection with attempted forgeries at two banks in Cumming.
A Forsyth County Sheriff’s deputy encountered Michael Frank Laumann, 51, walking along Ronald Reagan Boulevard about 2:20 p.m., appearing as if he was suffering from a heat stroke.
Laumann, a homeless man from the Atlanta area, eventually was charged with fourth-degree forgery, according to Epifanio Rodriguez, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office.
Rodriguez said it was determined that Laumann had unsuccessfully attempted to cash a $725 forged check at the Wells Fargo on Buford Highway (Hwy. 20) and Samples Road.
Laumann, whose last known address was Tallahassee, Fla., was apparently part of a group that may be responsible for cashing bad checks in nearby jurisdictions, Rodriguez said.
As of Wednesday, he had not posted his $605 bond from the Forsyth County Detention Center.
After meeting Laumann, the sheriff’s office set up a perimeter of largely unmarked patrol cars that stretched from Hamilton State Bank in Cumming to the Ingles on Hwy. 20 to Haw Creek Parkway and Echols Road.
At least a dozen agency members were involved in the search, from patrol units to communications officers, Rodriguez said.
The expansive perimeter — which lasted about two hours — was needed due to the “area and the number of people involved. In that area there were a lot of back roads that needed to be covered.”
The remaining suspects have been described only as black men, one of whom is heavy-set and middle-aged. The other two are reportedly younger and skinny.
According to Cumming Police Sgt. Aletha Barrett, a forged check was also not successfully cashed at a bank in the city.
The cashier contacted police after the man who made the attempt ran away when denied the transaction. Other suspects were thought to have been lookouts or drivers during the incident.
That same suspect is thought to have committed at least one other similar crime in Cartersville, she said.
None of the three remaining suspects are believed to still be in the area.