00:00July 23rd, Tallahassee, Florida.
00:03Inside this Chuck E. Cheese restaurant,
00:06families are enjoying what they think is just another ordinary Tuesday night.
00:10Kids are running between arcade games,
00:12parents are sharing pizza,
00:14and the familiar sounds of childhood fun fill the air.
00:17But what none of these families know is that police officers
00:20are about to make one of the most bizarre arrests ever captured on body cam footage.
00:25They're here to arrest Chuck E. Cheese himself.
00:28Not the character, but the man inside the costume for felony credit card fraud.
00:34And every second of what's about to unfold is being recorded on police body cameras.
00:40This is that footage.
00:43Don't resist, do not resist.
00:45Don't, let your hands go.
00:46Let your hands go.
00:51To understand how we got here, we need to go back several weeks.
00:55Tallahassee police had been investigating a series of credit card thefts.
01:00Not the typical smash and grab variety,
01:03but sophisticated fraud involving multiple unauthorized transactions across the city.
01:08The investigation led them to a surprising location.
01:11This family entertainment center that markets itself as
01:14where a kid can be a kid.
01:16The suspect was 41-year-old Jermell Jeroe Jones,
01:20an employee who worked the mid-shift wearing the iconic mouse costume.
01:23According to police reports, Jones had allegedly been using stolen credit card information
01:28to make purchases both inside and outside his workplace.
01:32What makes this case particularly egregious is the violation of trust.
01:36Parents bring their children to Chuck E. Cheese believing it's a safe, controlled environment.
01:41Under Florida Statute 817.568,
01:46credit card fraud is classified as a third-degree felony when the amount is under $100.
01:50But when you're dealing with multiple cards and repeated unauthorized use,
01:55those charges stack up quickly.
01:58Each individual transaction can be prosecuted separately,
02:02meaning Jones was potentially facing years in prison.
02:05The investigation involved tracking digital footprints across multiple platforms,
02:10Apple Cash transactions, retail purchases, and restaurant charges.
02:14Modern fraud leaves an extensive paper trail,
02:17and detectives had built what they believed was a solid case against Jones.
02:22Detective work in credit card fraud cases has evolved dramatically in the digital age.
02:27Every swipe, every tap, every online purchase creates a timestamp that investigators can follow.
02:34Like and follow for more parts and updates at Red Tape Red Flag.
