CLARION CO., Pa. (EYT) — A Clarion woman who reportedly stole a check out of a mailbox and then forged and cashed it is due back in court next week.
According to court documents, 49-year-old Lori Ann Shelley is scheduled to stand for a plea hearing in front of President Judge Sara J. Seidle-Patton at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 20, on the following charges:
– Forgery — Alter Writing, Felony 2
– Theft By Unlawful Taking-Movable Property, Misdemeanor 2
– Receiving Stolen Property, Misdemeanor 2
Shelley is currently free on $10,000.00 unsecured bail.
Details of the case:
Clarion Borough Police were dispatched around 1:50 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2, 2020, to a residence on South 6th Avenue for a report of a theft.
At the scene, police spoke with a known victim who reported that she made out a check on her personal account to a known woman in the amount of $50.00. She placed the check in the outgoing mail from her office on May 25, according to the complaint.
On June 1, the victim discovered the check had been cashed the same day she mailed it. She then contacted the intended recipient and found the recipient had never received the check.
The victim showed police a copy of the cashed check, the back of which was signed in the name of the intended recipient and a second known woman. Police then contacted the intended recipient and confirmed that she had not received or cashed the check. She also reportedly stated she doesn’t know the second known woman who also cashed the check, according to the complaint.
When the victim was asked about anyone else living in the building, she said the only other tenant was Lori Shelley, who lived in the upstairs apartment.
According to the complaint, when questioned about the check, Shelley admitted to taking and cashing it. She told police she found it in the mailbox outside of the building and took it to a local bank where she had the second known woman cash it for her. She then took the money and spent it.
Shelley explained that she had the second known woman cash the check for her because the second woman had a checking account, and she did not. In addition, Shelley admitted to endorsing the check, the complaint states.
Shelley was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Duane L. Quinn at 11:11 a.m. on June 3.
