The 34-year-old man called police Saturday, April 20, to intervene because he said a local business owner was harassing him with relentless phone calls.
Officers contacted the owner, who runs a local check-cashing business. He told officers he’d been given bad checks totaling $7,000. His phone calls were an attempt to collect what he says he’s owed.
Heber Police Sgt. Josh Weishar said officers searched the 34-year-old man’s apartment and found receipts, checks, fake identification documents and other evidence connecting him to the fraudulent checks.
“Officers were able to locate evidence… and determined that he issued that check purposely knowing that it was a bad check,” he said. “And he was subsequently arrested.”
Weishar said the man who was arrested is one of three people suspected of what officers call a “premeditated organized scam” to commit check fraud.
“There’s two more individuals that we’re looking for,” he said. “So we’re trying to help bring those two to justice as well.”
The man arrested could face charges for issuing bad checks, a pattern of unlawful activity, forgery and obstruction of justice.
No charges had been filed as of Tuesday afternoon.