Two people are in custody and a third is expected to surrender today in connection with a theft and fraud case investigated by city and state police.

Melissa Lynn Hale, 18, of 2854 S. Country Club Road, Warsaw, was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail Tuesday evening on a charge of theft. She turned herself in on the outstanding warrant filed after the November investigation for which she submitted to an interview and allegedly admitted her involvement. She is being held on $2,000 bond.

Already jailed is Thomas Edward Lane, 24, of Warsaw, who was taken into custody Nov. 13 because of an outstanding warrant from Michigan for a parole violation. He is being held as a fugitive from Michigan and also faces charges in this case.

Jennifer Van Dyke, 20, of Warsaw, is expected to surrender today at the county jail.

According to Detective Paul Schmitt of the Warsaw Police Department, the investigation included solving a theft of a purse from a car parked at Warsaw Coil. In that case, a checkbook and identification garnered were used to purchase about $1,700 worth of merchandise from Warsaw and Fort Wayne businesses. Much of the merchandise has been recovered.

This information was learned after interviewing Lane, Hale and Van Dyke after Indiana State Police brought the three in for questioning after they allegedly tried to open an account at Key Bank in North Webster using false names. An employee at the bank apparently recognized one of the trio as having been in the bank on a previous occasion with another name. The three were detained while police were called.

Prior to being detained, police said the three made several "empty envelope deposits" at automatic teller machines during November, then withdrew the false deposits. Seven withdrawals netted the trio $2,100. Charges of fraud on a financial institution are also possible. [[In-content Ad]]