Arrest Made in Forgery

On October 9, 2019 Parsons Police Officers were called the Labette Bank 2121 Main in Parsons for a report of individuals attempting to pass fraudulent checks.

When officers arrived two men were identified and detained while one man was reported as leaving the group's vehicle prior to officers' arrival. A quick search of the area lead to the discovery of Jaelyn Jamal Lee, 23 of Parsons, walking in the 2300 block of Main. When Officer Jordan Tomlinson was spotted by Lee, he took off on foot leading Officer Tomlinson on a foot chase through a residential area. Lee was captured in the 2300 block of Corning by Sergeant Joel Franklin and Police Chief Robert Spinks. Lee was arrested on an outstanding City of Parsons Municipal Warrant. He is also being charged with Interference with Law Enforcement, Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Paraphernalia.

During the investigation it was found that the two men in the vehicle were passing stolen checks. The checks were from Columbus, Kansas and one had been passed at the Labette Bank branch at 2121 Main, another check had attempted to be passed at the West Branch of Labette Bank at 3130 Main, but the tellers were given an expired Oklahoma driver's license that is also suspected of being stolen. When the men were denied at the West Branch they returned to the Main branch and again attempted to pass a check. This time the bank called Parsons Police and responding officers stopped the men.

Zachery Wolfe Pekar-Bates, 24 of Parsons, and Tyler Scott Sizemore, 27 of Parsons were arrested in connection with the forgery. The Parsons Police Department is filing for charges of three counts of Forgery, one count of Theft and two counts of Attempted Theft, more charges may be filed based on the conclusion of the investigation.

Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks said, "this is another example of excellent observation skills by our patrol staff and See It, Hear It, Report It, working together to stop nefarious activity. Officer Tomlinson was key in running down Lee through streets and back yards. He's a tenacious officer. This will hopefully lead to a solid conviction and a lengthy jail term for those involved."

This continues to be an on-going investigation and citizens are encouraged to "See It, Hear It, Report It." If anyone has any further information on this incident or any other criminal activity, please contact the Parsons Police Department at 421-7060 or call the Tip Line at 421-7057 or email at tips@parsonspd.com.