Alleged thief leaves giveaway clue -- his signature

[September 04, 2008]  IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -- Police didn't have much trouble finding a man accused of using a stolen credit card -- he signed his own name on one of the receipts.

The 21-year-old Iowa City man is accused of using the credit card to buy a latte at a coffee house and to buy cigarettes at a tobacco store. When he used the allegedly stolen credit card to buy the smokes, he signed the receipt with his own signature.

Police said he also tried to use the credit card to buy $154.21 worth of merchandise at another downtown store, but it came up as stolen. Then he presented his own identification.

When officers finally caught up with him at a deli, he allegedly admitted to using the card but denied taking it. The man told police he found the credit cards in his living room after a party.

He has been charged with four counts of unauthorized use of a credit card, an aggravate misdemeanor.

[Associated Press]

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