Three men face charges for their roles in attempting to cash a fraudulent check at a Lehighton bank Wednesday afternoon.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by patrolman Joel Gulla of the Lehighton Borough Police Department in the case against Angel Beltre Mata, Jacquemiel White, and Christopher Paniagua:

At 2:19 p.m. the station received a phone call from Community Bank reporting a black man was inside attempting to pass a fraudulent check.

Gulla spoke with the bank manager, who showed him a United States Treasury check in the amount of $20,577 that was made out to another person.

The bank manager pointed out the man who was still standing by the bank teller attempting to cash the check.

The man identified himself as Angel Beltre Mata, 21, of Hazleton. He was asked about the check, and he said an unknown man offered him $500 to cash the check and he agreed.

Beltre Mata said he didn’t know the man’s name, but he was parked outside in a dark BMW.

Officer Gabe Szozda, who was assisting Gulla with the incident located the gray BMW that bore the New Jersey registration parked in the 200 block of North First Street.

The driver was Jacquemiel White, 25, of Hackensack, New Jersey. He had a Georgia driver’s license and police took him to the station.

Police learned that a second vehicle, a light blue Honda CRV, was parked in the bank parking lot. The CRV left and was seen traveling northbound on Second Street.

As Gulla attempted to get behind the light blue Honda, it passed a car that was stopped at an active school bus stop at the intersection of Second and Coal Street.

The Honda went through the active school bus stop, which the bus was observed stopping with its lights activated and kids were exiting.

Gulla activated his emergency lights and siren and attempted to stop the vehicle, but it failed to stop and continued to flee.

Gulla was able to obtain the Pennsylvania registration on the light blue Honda.

During the pursuit, the fleeing vehicle failed to stop for two stop signs and traveled at high rates of speeds for about five blocks.

The driver got out and ran.

Police were able to apprehend the male driver, Christopher Paniagua, 22, of West Hazleton.

All three men were returned to the station. During the investigation, police learned that all three men conspired to come to Lehighton to cash the fraudulent bank check for the purpose of making money.

Also, police learned that the person’s name who was on the fraudulent check had lost her driver’s license and bank card a few days earlier and didn’t know either of the men or realize they had her information and stated the United States Treasury check didn’t belong to her.

Beltre Mata faces charges of forgery, theft by deception, and conspiracy to commit both; Paniagua faces charges of conspiracy to commit forgery, conspiracy to commit theft by deception, fleeing and eluding, reckless endangerment, and summary traffic; and White faces charges of conspiracy to commit forgery, and conspiracy to commit theft by deception.

They are all currently incarcerated in the Carbon County Correctional Facility, Paniagua, on $150,000 monetary bail, White, $100,000 monetary bail, and Beltre Mata, $50,000 monetary bail, and are scheduled to have preliminary hearings Feb. 21 before District Judge Eric M. Schrantz of Jim Thorpe.