Police Say Wayzata Man Bought Car With Bogus $17k Check

A 33-year-old Wayzata man faces a lengthy prison stay after being arrested in Maple Grove last Thursday.

Police say Thomas Barber was behind the wheel of a stolen Pontiac Grand Prix that he had fraudulently tried to purchase from a Coon Rapids dealership earlier this month. Court documents indicate the Coon Rapids Police Department had been looking for Barber for about two weeks and that an active probable cause pickup request had been issued for him.

Police say Barber was stopped sometime about 1:45 a.m. on Thursday, May 12. Prosecutors allege Barber fraudulently purchased the car by writing a bad check in the amount of nearly $17,000.

A fraud investigator with the bank Barber’s check was drawn on told police Barber’s checking account had been closed since early 2010.

Barber, according to reports compiled by police, allegedly told officers he purchased the vehicle legitimately using cash borrowed from a friend.

Hennepin County prosecutors have charged Barber with receiving stolen property, a felony that comes with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine.

Barber recently entered a guilty plea in a separate case involving the swindle of more than $35,000. He is scheduled to be sentenced in that case on May 26.