SALEM — Two Massachusetts people are in custody after Salem police say they passed fraudulent checks at three local department stores and had cocaine in their car.

Christopher Christie and Jamila Smith, both 31 and of Revere, Mass., were each charged with possession of cocaine and several counts of forgery.

The pair was arrested Sunday afternoon at 5:14 p.m. after they fled from a Target department store on Route 28, police said.

Police were told that the couple had fled in a car with Georgia license plates and passed fraudulent American Express checks. The car was found in an adjacent parking lot at the Kmart Plaza.

Police said they determined that Smith and Christie passed bogus checks at Target, a Staples store and TJ Maxx before their arrest. Officers also found cocaine in the car during their investigation, according to Deputy Police Chief Shawn Patten. Christie and Smith were taken into custody without incident.

The case remains under investigation. The total amount of the thefts have yet to be determined, police said. Both suspects refused bail and were brought to the Rockingham County jail pending arraignment in 10th Circuit Court in Salem.

Christie faces five counts of forgery so far. Smith was charged with three counts of forgery.

jkimble@newstote.com