Sgt. Brandon McCroskey told the Journal-News this morning the department charged Erik Damien Geier Jr. of Lutz, Florida with theft by deception of a protected class, a third-degree felony.
Geier was identified as a suspect from information received from a family member of the victim, McCroskey said. He is believed to be the man who showed up in a U-Haul to collect $9,500 from the woman, who was told a loved one needed it for bond in Franklin County, Ohio.
On Tuesday, Fairfield Twp. police said they were looking for a U-Haul box truck rental with a white GMC chassis, which was driven by a man in his late 20s or early 30s last seen wearing blue jeans, a dark green hooded coat with a fur trim around the hood and tan/brown work boots.
In both cases, the victims received phone calls claiming to be from loved ones who said they were incarcerated and needed bail money. The caller told the victims that someone would stop by their home to get the cash. Later, the suspect in the U-Haul arrived and took the victims’ money.
One couple in Hanover Twp. gave the suspect $20,000 and the Fairfield Twp. woman gave him $9,500, according to police.
McCroskey said there may be additional victims in the area.
Anyone with information about the crime or the suspect’s vehicle is urged to call Fairfield Twp. detectives at 513-785-1463 or Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.
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