Suspect flees from credit union after attempting fraudulent transaction 

COLUMBUS — The Columbus Police Department arrested a Florida woman Friday after she led officers on a chase into Rutherford County. 

The chase included Columbus officers, the North Carolina Highway Patrol and the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, and began when officers approached her at the State Employee Credit Union after trying to pass fraudulent information. 

Kelli L. Wilson, 31, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was arrested and charged with failure to maintain lane control, failure to heed light or siren, failure to stop at a stop sign/flashing red light, failure to yield to stop sign/flashing red light, aggressive driving, misdemeanor larceny, identity theft, financial card theft, uttering forged instrument, attempting to obtain property under false pretenses, speeding and reckless driving to endanger, according to police reports. 

Columbus Police Chief Scott Hamby said two Columbus police officers were at the State Employee Credit Union in Columbus on unrelated matters when an employee at the bank told one of the officers that a woman in the drive-through tried to pass fraudulent information. 

“The officer inside the bank notified the officer outside the bank,” Hamby said. “As the officer
approached the lady, she sped away in a black 2018 Toyota Camry.” 

Hamby said the suspect drove around the roundabout in Columbus and began traveling U.S. 74 East towards Rutherford County. 

“Columbus Police notified Polk Communications that they were involved in a chase and gave a vehicle description and direction of travel,” Hamby said. 

The North Carolina Highway Patrol deployed stop sticks at Exit 178 in Rutherford County, which hit Wilson’s back left tire.

Wilson continued driving and exited off Exit 182, where she was stopped by the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, and arrested and taken into custody at the U.S. 221A exit, Hamby said. 

Hamby said the vehicle Wilson was driving was reported stolen out of Illinois. The tag, he said, was taken in Polk County and had not been reported stolen as of Friday. 

Wilson was taken to the Polk County Jail, where she received a $140,000 secured bond. 

Her first appearance in Polk County District Court was scheduled for Monday.