Accused quick change artist arrested in string of cash thefts throughout Washtenaw County
A quick-change artist with a long history of scams at Washtenaw County eateries and convenience stores was arrested Tuesday after authorities say she struck again in Saline last week.
Cathy Ann Thacker, 46, is being held at the Washtenaw County Jail on six bench warrants. She is awaiting arraignment on larceny charges for a string of cash thefts in Ann Arbor, Dexter, Dexter Township and Saline.
Cathy Thacker
Washtenaw County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Thacker at a residence in the 100 block of Harris Street in Ypsilanti Township Wednesday morning, reports said.
Four police jurisdictions, including the Sheriff’s Department and the University of Michigan Department of Public Safety, had warrants for her arrest on charges of fraud under false pretenses, unlawfully driving away an automobile and other traffic offenses.
Police reports indicate she’s also wanted in Howell and Chesterfield Township for fraud under false pretenses.
In each case, Thacker allegedly used sleight-of-hand and confidence to swindle small amounts of cash from waitresses and unsuspecting clerks without a weapon or disguise, said Saline Police Detective Don Lupi.
Lupi said Thacker is suspected in two separate incidents that occurred within an hour one day last week in Saline.
Police reports say Thacker bought a sandwich for roughly $6 at a Saline eatery shortly after 3 p.m. March 2. She paid with a $20 bill, but as the clerk turned to hand her the food, Thacker allegedly insisted she got five $1 dollar bills in change instead of one $10 bill she was owed. Reports indicate video recordings of the incident show the woman quickly changing the bills in her hand. The incident wasn't reported until a few hours later.
Officers also took a report from a restaurant, where employees said Thacker went directly to the cashier to exchange four $10 bills into two $20 bills sometime before 4 p.m.
The employee handed her the $20 bills, but as she turned around, the woman said she mistakenly received one $20 bill and a $1 bill and held them up, reports said. The employee handed her another $20.
Lupi said he'll forward reports to prosecutors seeking charges of larceny by trick.
Police reports show Thacker was charged with similar crimes in Livonia and Romulus in 2007. Thacker was also wanted on a 2009 bench warrant for failing to appear at sentencing on a larceny charge. Last spring, she pleaded guilty to one count of larceny of less than $200 for a similar incident at a Saline sandwich shop, Lupi said. She never showed for sentencing in September.
Lupi said he suspects many other victims exist, but never noticed the theft or were too ashamed to report it.
“A lot of people don’t call police because they’re embarrassed or aren’t even sure it’s a crime,” he said. “Although it seems like petty thefts, on a daily and weekly basis it can add up.”
Art Aisner is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.
Comments
Kevin
Tue, Dec 21, 2010 : 1:54 a.m.
To clear up something small, I believe you mean (in the first instance) that she said she received five $1 bills instead of four $1 bills and one $10 bill ["Thacker allegedly insisted she got five $1 dollar bills in change instead of one $10 bill she was owed" should say "Thacker allegedly insisted she got five $1 dollar bills in change instead of four $1 and one $10 bill]. She switches the 10 for a 1 in her other hand, rather than simply saying she received 5 bills in place of 1. It's a lot easier to say one bill in a stack of 5 was mistakenly smaller than it is to say that the wrong amount was given. It was probably just a typographical error, but I thought I'd point it out.
Syntia
Tue, Apr 13, 2010 : 3:37 p.m.
SOOO happy she finally went down! I'll never forget this womens face..she's gotten me 3 times in the past 10 years and at two different jobs! I know that sounds like I'm the stupid one, but it was a few years in between each time and I had forgotten what she looked like. She DID NOT get me the 4th time she tried. And she is NOT stealing from the rich...the first place she got me twice at was a very small business which brought in hardly any money.
YpsiLivin
Mon, Apr 12, 2010 : 4:57 p.m.
ronn oneal said: Whats the motve to her crimes? Was she trying to pay for a Surgry on her Child, mom, etc. Was in foreclosoure, hungy, homeless,, maybe drugs? She normally hits restaurants and she has the apparent means to pay for her meal. She's not fundraising; she's a thief. I'm sorry that it's as simple as that, but don't spend too much time feeling sorry for her.
Jesse
Fri, Mar 12, 2010 : 12:18 a.m.
I saw this ladies picture up at Mancino's months ago.... Guess she never learned her lesson!
ronn oneal
Thu, Mar 11, 2010 : 7:50 p.m.
Whats the motve to her crimes? Was she trying to pay for a Surgry on her Child, mom, etc. Was in foreclosoure, hungy, homeless,, maybe drugs? I ask the motive because sometime the story sounds bad until you here the motives (sometime).. Just something to consider sometime.
mrk
Thu, Mar 11, 2010 : 9:29 a.m.
I got hit by one of these guys back in the late 90s when I worked at an Aco Hardware in Rochester Hills. The guy paid for a quart of motor oil with a $20 bill, I gave him change, then he gave me a $20 and asked for 4 $10s. I gave him his $20 back and said we were even... he argued that he was still owed 4 $10s. I shut the drawer, called the manager... then he changed his story and said he asked "for some 10s." Drawer balanced to the penny. The manager asked for his name and number in case we "found" the extra $20 bill... he said his name was Michael Johnson. Ha! Wonder which jail cell "Michael Johnson" is in these days...
John
Thu, Mar 11, 2010 : 6:50 a.m.
This woman wrote a bad check to my company for nearly $1,000.00 I'll be contacting the Police today.
M.
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 10:05 p.m.
snapshot - see above. Simply refusing to make change would not prevent something like this. Also, many stores DO have a policy. If anyone questions a transaction or says they have been shorted, you need to do a count of the drawer right on the spot to see if your drawer is over/under.
snapshot
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 9:59 p.m.
Tom Joad, exactly! Very few cashiers know how to count change back anymore.
M.
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 9:35 p.m.
djm12652 - The business I work at that she stole from (I'm guessing more than once) is a family owned restaurant and by all means none of us there are rich. Tom Joad - Your store policy would fail to prevent this from happening. When she did it to me, she bought a soda (cheapest product you can get). She is very chatty, and if you're working a cash register that means you are doing customer service and you try to pay attention to them when they are talking to you. A good rule to have for yourself as a cashier is to always count out the money as you put it in the customer's hand. This way you're both agreeing the amount is right while both of your eyes are on the money before anyone turns away.
M.
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 9:28 p.m.
YESSS!!!!! THIS LADY GOT ME OVER THE SUMMER!! She walked into Great Wraps complaining of the heat and talking about the football game as she bought a soda, then started to walk away and quickly turned around to say I had shorted her. She had been so social and didn't look as bad as the picture that I didn't question it until she left.
jj
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 8:17 p.m.
Maybe she should go to work for the city of AA. She could reduce any budget deficit in a year.
actionjackson
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 4:54 p.m.
So slick Cathy. Bet you really made out big time with these devious little scams. Put her on picking up roadside trash for the next year, let her keep the ten cent deposit cans and she will come out ahead of her means of making a living.
Tom Joad
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 4:02 p.m.
Institute a store policy that you regret to inform customers but 'we don't make change' every transaction in the register has to be accounted for. The second someone asks you to make change for them should immediately raise a flag. and it's 'quick change'
Tom Joad
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 3:56 p.m.
You need to be fastidious and focused when you make change. If you count out the change correctly to the customer this will NEVER occur. Bill 4.63 cent. Customer hands a ten. You give 37 cents first, call out 'makes $5', 'five makes ten'...now get the f out of my store!
Shitari123
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 3:47 p.m.
@EyeHeartA2....Mug Shot
tdw
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 2:03 p.m.
@DBH sleight slight? I did not know that, learn something new every day
djm12652
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 2 p.m.
What's the big deal? She only went after the high paid part of society...ya know, steal from the rich???
DBH
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 1:53 p.m.
The headline says quick-charge artist; I believe you mean quick-change artist, as the body of the story indicates. Also, I believe you mean sleight of hand, not slight-of-hand? Sleight and slight are pronounced the same, but have different meanings.
robotmonster
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 1:47 p.m.
Man, too bad she can't go on tour with Penn and Teller.