A bank teller called police recently when a Surfside Beach Town Councilman caused a commotion because the teller refused to cash his check.
No charges were filed in the incident, according to a police report. And Councilman Randle Stevens says he won’t return to the Surfside Beach branch of Wells Fargo.
Stevens, 62, went to cash a $100 check at the Wells Fargo in Surfside Beach about 4:40 p.m. on August 20, but the teller refused because the account holders’ signature didn’t seem to match other writing on the check and Stevens couldn’t produce two forms of identification, according to an incident report.
Stevens on Friday said the incident wasn’t a big deal.
“This was a private business matter and is much ado about nothing,” he said.
He said he didn’t bring his wallet in and only had his driver’s license when he went to the bank. When asked for a second identification he went to his car and only found a Surfside Beach Town Council identification, he said.
The bank teller told Stevens she needed to call the account holder when he got “agitated,” and tried to call the man himself, according to police.
He asked for his check back, but the bank manager said it would be held by the bank until the account holder was contacted. That’s when Stevens started yelling and announcing that he was a Surfside Beach Councilman, the report said. Stevens was repeatedly asked to leave the bank, but said he wouldn’t until the check was returned to him.
“I told them this is was ridiculous and I didn’t like being treated like a common criminal,” he said. “They insisted they were not going to give me my check back which is against the law.”
Stevens told police he knew the check was legitimate and he didn’t agree with the bank’s decision to not cash it or return it, the report said.
The check was returned when the account holder went to a Wells Fargo branch in Georgetown and confirmed he had authorized the check, but Stevens was still asked to leave and his check was not cashed, according to police.
Stevens said he later cashed the check at the Georgetown branch.
The bank manager did not want to pursue charges for trespassing and Stevens was not arrested.
“I don’t know what the big deal was,” Stevens said. “Somebody’s trying to embarrass me and make something out of nothing. I’m not sure who it is, but I have my speculations.”
Stevens said he plans to file a complaint with the Wells Fargo.
“I’ll never step in that bank again,” he said. “They’re very rude. They acted like I had forged the check and I think any person who went in there with a legitimate business check would feel the same way.”
Contact AMANDA KELLEY at 626-0381.
