PRESS RELEASE
On 10/18/2012 John Griffith, age 28, of Springfield Missouri and Merannda Coffer, age 27, of Springfield Missouri were arrested and charged with Identity Fraud, a Class D Felony, Theft by Receiving, a Class C Felony (two counts), Theft by Receiving a Class D Felony, and three additional misdemeanor counts of Theft by Receiving, Forgery, a Class C Felony, Criminal Attempt to Manufacture Methamphetamine, a Class D Felony, Possession of a Schedule IV Controlled Substance, a Class A Misdemeanor, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, a Class A Misdemeanor. Griffith is also wanted from Missouri for the following warrants, Probation Violation for Dangerous Drugs, Robbery in the Second Degree, and four other warrants for Failure to Appear on various misdemeanor violations.
On 10/18/2012 a bank in Flippin contacted the Flippin Police Department and advised them that two people had attempted to cash a stolen check. The suspects had left the bank and headed out of Flippin. Officers gained a vehicle and clothing description and learned that the suspects were traveling toward the Cotter area. Officers contacted Cotter Police and traveled to Cotter to attempt to locate the vehicle. Officers from Cotter, Gassville, and Flippin located the suspect vehicle and conducted a traffic stop on it. During the course of the investigation and traffic stop Flippin Officers obtained additional evidence to arrest the two suspects for attempting to cash the stolen check. At the time of the arrest the suspects used a false identity and provided officers with a fraudulent social security card. Officers also located an amount of marijuana and K-2 on the suspects when they were taken into custody. Officers learned that the license plate on the vehicle the suspects were driving was stolen from the State of Missouri. The vehicle was secured and Flippin Officers were granted a search warrant for the vehicle and camper trailer for additional evidence.
A short time later officers searched the vehicle along with the camper trailer the vehicle was pulling. During the course of the search officers learned that the suspects, using the same alias names provided during the traffic stop had test drove the vehicle in Topeka Kansas. During that test drive the suspects stole the vehicle, a 2004 GMC Yukon, at gunpoint. Officers also located the checkbook matching the stolen check the couple attempted to cash. Officers located an additional vehicle identification plate along with fictitious insurance paperwork for the vehicle. Officers also located numerous items used for the manufacture of methamphetamine and methamphetamine related drug paraphernalia. Officers then contacted the registered owner of the camper, a 2004 Forrest River Surveyor; the vehicle was pulling from Forsyth Missouri. The registered owner advised officers that the camper should be secured in a locked storage facility and if it was in Arkansas it had been stolen. Inside the camper officers located additional items used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. Officers also located a trailer license plate from South Dakota. A check of that license plate through the National Crime Information Center revealed that it was stolen from South Dakota and that the camper it belonged on was stolen was well. In the camper officers also located the license plate from Kansas for the stolen Yukon. Finally in the camper officers located Court documents from Missouri with the names John Griffith and Merannda Coffer. Officers later learned through checking booking photos of these two names that they were the same two suspects that were in custody and learned of the numerous outstanding warrants for Griffith.
Officers recovered a total of approximately $20,000 worth of stolen property from three different states. Authorities in each of those states have been notified and more charges from those states are anticipated.
Bond for both subjects on the Arkansas charges was set at $100,000.00 each. Both remain in custody at the time of the press release pending a court date in Marion County Circuit Court. Griffith will also be extradited to the State of Missouri on the outstanding warrants.
Flippin Police Chief Dusty Smith