RAPID CITY, SD — Yesterday at around 11:30 am officers were dispatched to 1200 N. Lacrosse st. in pursuit of reports of fraudulent activity at the location.
Upon arrival police discovered two tables, manned by one person each. Said tables had allegedly been stationed at the location on both the 24th and 25th of February. According to the individuals, they represented a student athletic organization, which remains unnamed in the report compiled by the RCPD following the incident, however “upon further investigation, police verified they were not affiliated with the organization and were not able to provide details on where the collected money was going,” according to RCPD’s Brendyn Medina.
In spite of false birth date information provided by the younger among the two, the two individuals were eventually identified as 19-year-old Davion Bell of Riverdale, IL, and 31-year-old Trvone Stokes of Chicago, IL. Both were placed under arrest on charges of fraud, with Bell additionally charged with Impersonation to Deceive Law Enforcement.
At the conclusion of the report, Medina encouraged victims to reach out to the department, saying “Both individuals were soliciting donations at the location on February 24th and 25th. It is believed there may be additional victims who provided money under the false pretenses provided by these suspects. Anyone who may have donated money to either individual during their time in Rapid City is encouraged to contact Det. Brian Fletcher at 605-394-4134”.
