Weeks long investigation nets arrest in forgery case

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF)- A LaFollette woman was arrested for passing worthless checks and other charges after a several weeks long investigation.

On Feb. 7, LaFollette Police Officer Cheyenne White was dispatched to Food City about a bad check. White spoke with the store manager who gave her two checks. The first check was for $58.26 and the second was for $57.64, both checks had a Speedwell address and were issued from Commercial Bank. The store manager pulled up the video from Feb. 6 that showed a silver Dodge Ram pulling into a front row parking spot on the left side of the store. A woman wearing a pink hoodie, blue jeans, black shoes and her hair put half up got out of the passenger seat and went into the store. The woman went to a register and asked for a pack of cigarettes. She gave the cashier a check for $58.26 and received $50 back in cash. After the purchase, she left the register and went down a store aisle picking up a bag of Reese’s Cups, then returned to the register handing the cashier another check for $57.64 and received $50 back in cash. After the purchases the woman returned to the truck and left the area.

Officer White went to ORNL Credit Union on Feb.7 to review their security camera footage from Feb. 6. On the footage, she saw the Dodge Ram driving in front of the bank, heading west. She was unable to see the numbers on the license plate but did notice the plate was blue in color.

As Officer White continued to work the case, she contacted Commercial Bank in Speedwell on Feb. 14 for a follow up regarding the checks the woman cashed at Food City. The branch manager told White that the person who the checks belonged to was unable to file a police report about her stolen checks due to mobility issues and a lack of transportation. White contacted the victim who reported a woman she identified as Allison Parks Ausmus had visited her residence multiple times. The victim reported that she had allowed Ausmus to drive her 2019 Nissan, which she alleged Ausmus wrecked and totaled. According to the report, the victim suspected that Ausmus had taken several checks from her and had been trying to use them at various locations, although she was unsure of the exact number of checks that had been taken or attempted to be used. She continued that she had been in contact with Commercial Bank who placed a hold on all her checks to flag any attempts to use them. The victim reported the signature being signed on the checks was not hers, according to a report from the LaFollette Police Department.

On Feb. 14, Officer White found a driver’s license in the state of Tennessee for Angela Allison Ausmus. According to the records, her driver’s license information was updated last on Jan. 13, 2025. Her residence was listed at 123 Morningside Park, LaFollette. Officers checked this address for a silver Dodge Ram, which had been observed dropping off and picking up a female during the incident at Food City. They found a 2010 silver Dodge Ram pickup truck at the residence, and the vehicle registration indicated that it belonged to Ausmus’s father. The vehicle used in the incident at Food City matched. The female was identified through her driver’s license photo that also matched the female in Food City. The signature on the check did not match the rightful owner’s signature.

During a conversation with Officer White and the Commercial Bank Branch Operation Supervisor, she stated that victim’s signature has consistently remained the same. The signatures on the two checks used at Food City do not match either the signature on file at the bank or the victim’s driver’s license signature.

On Feb. 19, Officer White issued three warrants for Angela Allison Ausmus. On Feb. 20, White went to 123 Morningside Park, LaFollette along with Officer Hicks in attempt to locate Ausmus. When the pair knocked on the door, Ausmus’ father told White his daughter was in the back bedroom. White spoke with Ausmus reading her Miranda Rights. When she was asked if she understood and was willing to speak to White without an attorney present, she replied yes to both questions. White asked Ausmus if she had been to Food City recently, and she replied that she hadn’t been there in years. She reported that she does not drive and that nobody drives her in any vehicle. White then told Ausmus that she had video footage of her being dropped off and picked up in a truck that matcher her father’s vehicle, which was parked under the carport during the conversation. Ausmus then stated she was the one who drove to Food City. White clarified that Ausmus exited the passenger seat and then re-entered the truck in the passenger seat, noting that she did not have a valid driver’s license. Ausmus replied, “No, and they did not have anything to do with it.” White then told Ausmus that she had observed security camera footage of her walking up to the cash register and making two different purchases using two different checks, while also receiving cash back. White explained that the checks Ausmus used had been reported stolen and that the signatures on them did not match the right owner’s signature. Ausmus stated that the victim had allowed her to drive her vehicle until the motor blew up. She mentioned that the victim was upset with her and told her that she would do this because she could not run to her every time she called. Ausmus said the victim had spoken to her over the phone and asked her to cash her checks because her bank was closed, and that the victim was the one who signed the checks. When Officer White reiterated that she was picked up and dropped off at Food City with these two checks from the victim, she replied, “Yeah.”

Ausmus, 43, 123 Morningside Park, LaFollette was charged with forgery, theft of property under $1,000 and worthless checks. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-03/03/2025-6AM)