Police say man used stolen credit card to buy computer, booze and cigarettes

A Coralville man is accused of using a credit card he found in the garbage to buy a computer, bottle of vodka and cigarettes from a Walmart and telling police “it was fun while it lasted.”

Kenneth O. Gayden, 48, of 320 Second St. No. 7, told police he found a wallet in the garbage that the alleged victim mistakenly threw away, according a criminal complaint.

He was caught on video at the Iowa City Walmart at 1001 Highway 1 West on March 25 using the stolen credit card to purchase a laptop computer, a bottle of vodka and two cartons of cigarettes, according to the complaint. He signed the alleged victim's name for the charges, according to the complaint.

Police say Gayden admitted to the acts, saying “it was fun while it lasted.”

The Walmart purchases and $50 in cash that was in the wallet totalled $537, police said.

Gayden faces charges of forgery, a class D felony, and third-degree theft, an aggravated misdemeanor. The forgery charge carries a possible prison term of five years and the theft charge could result in up to two years in prison.