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Stuart officer's good timing leads to fraud suspect's arrest

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Posted at 3:01 PM, Oct 31, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-31 15:01:49-04

A Stuart police officer investigating a case of fraud was in the right place at the right time to make an arrest.

On Monday, officials say Stuart Business Liaison Officer Corey Lee was at a RaceTrac service station viewing security video of a suspect in the case.

Police say he then noticed the vehicle on the security video looked like the same one at a gas pump.

The driver, identified as 37-year-old Javier Valdes-Camejo, was detained and police say a search turned up several stolen credit cards, fraudulently-embossed gift cards and an extra aftermarket fuel tank underneath a Ford F-250.

Police arrested Valdes-Camejo and he faces charges of obtaining fuel by fraud, possession of fraudulent credit cards, criminal use of personal identification, and scheme to defraud.

Investigators say additional charges are possible.

Police say Officer Lee seems to have a knack for good timing.They say while conducting surveillance at a gas station in March he noticed two suspects attempting to use stolen credit cards to buy fuel. Police say he ended up arresting two men from Miami and recovering hundreds of gallons of fuel and more than 50 fraudulent credit cards.