Credit Card Crook Thwarted, Steals Smokes Anyway

A crook’s bid to buy three cartons of smokes with a bad credit card was thwarted by a vigilant clerk, but the thief snatched the cigarettes and ran off anyway.

The man used a fraudulent credit card to try to buy the cigarettes from the Speedway on West Maple Street near Maple Road Friday afternoon.

“When the transaction was declined the subject grabbed the cartons of cigarettes and fled the store,” police said.