FAYETTE COUNTY — Three Fort Lauderdale, Florida men are in the Fayette County Jail on charges of identity theft and possession of multiple stolen credit cards, after an alert State trooper became suspicious of them while they were getting gas at a Vandalia station.

According to Fayette County State’s Attorney Josh Morrison, an Illinois State Trooper was getting gas Thursday at the Fast Stop station in Vandalia, when he smelled marijuana coming from a nearby vehicle occupied by three men.

Following a search of the vehicle, 30 grams of cannabis was discovered in separate baggies, along with numerous credit cards and identification cards. The IDs and credit cards were mostly in female names, while none of the occupants were females and the names on many of the cards were connected to burglaries. Morrison does say none of the credit cards or IDs came from individuals in Fayette County.

The three men, 18-year-old Aneko A. Cartwright, 18-year-old Demari X. Simpson, and 19-year-old Jaipur J. Howard, all of Fort Lauderdale, have been charged with Class 2 felony identity theft, four counts Class 4 felony unlawful possession of a stolen credit or debit card, Class 4 felony distribution of between 10 and 30 grams of cannabis and Class A misdemeanor possession of between 10-30 grams of cannabis.

Bail for Cartwright and Howard has been set at $150,000 each, while bail for Simpson has been set at $75,000.
Cartwright and Simpson were appointed public defenders to represent them, while Howard advised he would hire a private attorney. All three men are scheduled for preliminary hearings on March 8.