REDFIELD, SD - Two suspects charged with "skimming" credit cards in Brown County had their first court appearance today after being arrested in Redfield on Wednesday, according to KSFY news.
Since November, several South Dakotans have found unauthorized transactions on their credit cards after using them in pumps secretly outfitted with "skimmers". Authorities think they have the men responsible in custody after a high speed chase on Wednesday.
The suspects include 38-year-old Elivanjob Espinosa-Leon and 46 year old Wilmar Vargas Rodriguez. Authorities say they walked into a gas station and tried to purchase gift cards using numerous credit cards, a red flag the owner noticed right away.
"So as soon as they left we pulled the journal out and looked at the journal tape and it had several different names, it showed the names of these credit cards they had been trying to run," says Scott Anderson, the owner of One Stop gas station.
Anderson then alerted the police. A sheriff noticed their car at the ShopKo parking lot. The men used the stolen credit card numbers there too.
"I got out of my vehicle to go up and identify them, and they looked at me and took off like a shot," says Kathy Adams, a deputy sheriff for Spink County.
Adams says she pursued the men on Highway 281, reaching 110 MPH at one point. Through the chase the men threw the fraudulent credit cards and receipts out their window. The chase slowed as the men entered a resident's driveway and stopped their car.
"Right after I got out, the sheriff came right behind me and he took them into custody," says Adams.
The recent threats have pushed businesses to step up their security, especially gas stations.
"We have seals on our pumps, we have a code on it, we check those on a daily basis," says Anderson. "So after the first incident we all step up our security and it was all something we were worried about."
Both Leon and Rodriguez are each being held on $100,000 cash bonds in the Brown County jail. The Spink County state's attorney says the suspects will be in Spink County court on Tuesday for charges related to the pursuit.