On 11/11/2025 at 0749 hours, White Bear Lake Police responded to a report of a check forgery incident in White Bear Lake, Ramsey County. The complainant, DRC, said that she had mailed several checks by placing them in her mailbox at that address on 11/10/2025. One was a $50.00 check (#5333). When she looked at her bank statement, however, she saw that the check had been cashed for $420.00. Police investigated and learned that check #5333 had been washed and re-written to “David Easter.” On the reverse side was a signature that began with a “D” and a [DL# REDACTED]; “S729186174018.” This license belongs to David James EASTER ([DOB REDACTED]). The check had been cashed on 11/10/25 at the Blaze Credit Union in Vadnais Heights, Ramsey County.
Police also noted that EASTER’s home address is.7 miles away from DRC’s address. CCTV footage from the Blaze Credit Union showed a white male, whose appearance matched EASTER’s Driver's License photo. EASTER presented check #5333 and identification to the teller. The teller checked the identification and then presented EASTER cash. During the ensuing investigation, police learned that EASTER attempted to cash another of RBC’s checks at the Blaze Credit Union in Roseville, Ramsey County on 11/12/25. This check was for $380.00. The credit union, however, identified the check as fraudulent and confiscated it.
Police also learned that Maplewood Police had taken a report of a mail theft and check forgery in which EASTER cashed a victim's forged check and transferred the funds into a Chime bank account. On 11/15/25, police went to EASTER’s residence at [ADDRESS REDACTED] in White Bear Township, Ramsey County and took him into custody. Before departing the address, EASTER donned a jacket and the same gray knit hat with a Timberwolves logo that he was wearing in the Blaze CCTV footage. During a search incident to arrest, in EASTER’s jacket pocket, police found a plastic wallet containing a Chime debit card, his Minnesota Driver's License, and a loose check.
The payor on the check was BGM and written to “David Easter” for $560.00. Police spoke to BGM who said that he did not know EASTER and had not issued the check to him. In a post-Miranda interview, EASTER said that his brother "Joe" arranged for him to do some work for a couple that "Joe" knew and that the couple gave him multiple checks for supplies that he bought. EASTER said he cashed one of DRC's checks for $420.00 and tried to cash another, but the teller took the check without telling him why.
Similarly, EASTER said that he received BGM’s check after doing work for his brother's friends. EASTER denied knowing that the checks were forged and denied stealing mail.
