Police: Man stole job applicants' IDs

COVINGTON, Ind. (WLFI) - Fountain County Police arrested a man they believe faked multiple identities to steal money from area banks. They said he stole the identities of former job applicants to his defunct body shop business.

Sheriff Bobby Bass said 47-year-old David Grice, originally of Taylorsville, Illinois was arrested Wednesday in Crawfordsville after he attempted to get a new ID card at the license branch.

The sheriff said Grice had been using different names and addresses he had gathered from applicants to the business he had attempted to open.

According to the sheriff, Grice used these identities to open checking accounts at several banks, write checks to himself, and cash those checks at different banks.

The sheriff said the investigation in Fountain County began weeks ago when an employee at a bank branch in Veedersburg noticed two suspicious accounts which had been opened in Veedersburg and Covington.

According to the sheriff, Grice opened two different accounts with different names, but ID matching photos.

Grice is being held on seven felony counts, including Fraud of a Financial Institution, Identity Theft, and Attempted Theft.

The sheriff said Grice is currently on parole from a prison in Illinois, and had been in prison several times.  He said the Fountain County Prosecutor is filing a petition to hold Grice as an habitual offender.

According to the sheriff, Grice faked a Fountain County address from a motel near Covington and had also listed a Tippecanoe County address in Dayton with one of his other identities.

There is evidence showing Grice has also written bad checks in Tippecanoe and Vigo counties, the sheriff said.