Police Make Arrest in Little Guys Scam Investigation

Mokena police have arrested a Chicago man they say scammed a local electronics store by paying for $5,000 in merchandise with a phony cashier's check.

Kenneth Poindexter, of the 7500 block of  South Harvard Street in Chicago, was arrested March 10 on charges of forgery and theft. Mokena Police Commander Dan Rankovich said a charge of burglary has since been added to the charges.

As , a man bought a 41-inch black gloss credenza, two Samsung Blu-Ray players and two 50-inch titanium plasma 3D televisions from The Little Guys in Mokena on Feb. 5 and paid for the merchandise with a check that was later found to be fraudulent. According to the police report, the man identified himself as Dex Johnson and gave the cashier a residential address in Highland, Ind.

Rankovich said investigators from the Mokena Police Department went to Indiana and discovered that Dex Johnson was an alias used by Poindexter. Police obtained a warrant for Poindexter's arrest on Feb. 28. Poindexter was arrested on March 10. Rankovich said he was picked out of a lineup by Little Guys staff.

According to the Illinois Department of Corrections website, Poindexter is on parole from Stateville Correctional Center and has a past criminal record that includes charges of forgery and theft. His arraignment is scheduled for April 1.

Rankovich said police were unable to track down the merchandise.