Waste-worker impersonator keeps cashing fake checks

Creedmoor, N.C. — Authorities believe that a man has continued to pose as a waste-management worker and cashing counterfeit paychecks at small-town businesses.

Since photos of the man aired, Creedmoor police received calls from other law-enforcement agencies with similar cases, including two in Clayton.

In Clayton, the man presented a Maryland driver's license with a photo of himself. The fake ID had the name "Orlanda Gaston" on it.

Staffers have reported incidents of someone cashing counterfeit, payroll checks at stores in Wake, Caswell, Franklin, Granville and Vance counties. Last month, police said, he went to a Southern States store in Creedmoor right across the street from the police station.

The impersonator usually wears a uniform that matches the name of the company displayed on the check. He uses a fake drivers license with the name Donnie Johnson on it, police said. The check also bears that name as the payee.

The checks seem to be made on a computer and are written out for around $100 to $200, authorities said. He usually buys an item at the store and pockets the rest of the money.

Granville Crime Stoppers has offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of this person.

Anyone with information about the case should call Creedmoor police at 919-528-1515 or Crime Stoppers at 919-693-3100. Callers to Crime Stoppers never have to identify themselves.