The Covington Police Department has arrested a person Thursday believed to have spearheaded the theft of thousands of fraudulent funds in Newton, Rockdale and Walton counties.

According to CPD captain Ken Malcom, authorities identified a person they believed was involved in cashing fraudulent checks, and followed that person to a Freshway Market in Social Circle. From there, CPD apprehended the person, whose identity is being kept confidential as police attempt to connect them to other possible cases.

This person has already been connected to 12 cases in Newton County, totaling what Malcom says is approximately $3,000.

“He’s been producing fraudulent checks with the name of Longhorn Corporation or Duncan Donuts Corporation on each one and having people cash them,” Malcom said.

The suspect has been tied to cases in Rockdale County, and the activities had just begun in Walton County be the arrest. According to Malcom, the typical pattern of such a case is cashing checks at a few different locations where there is success, and then moving on to another location.

The 12 fraudulent check cases in Newton County began about a month ago, Malcom said.

“It has been good work from the detectives working the case, and great work with the Walton County Sheriff’s Department,” Malcom said. “We are continuing to work with neighboring jurisdictions that have had similar cases to see if they could be tied into this individual.”