Two Women Accused Of Writing, Cashing Unauthorized Checks From Business
June 28, 2018 at 6:17 p.m.
Two Women Accused Of Writing, Cashing Unauthorized Checks From Business
By David [email protected]
Kendall Jo Kerlin, 32, of 1507 W. Ind. 14, Silver Lake, was arrested and booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 3:19 p.m. Wednesday; and Nicole Marie Huston, 38, Columbia City, was arrested and booked into the KCJ at 6:28 p.m. Wednesday, both for corrupt business influence and on bonds of $12,500.
Court documents filed Monday list the charges against Huston as corrupt business influence, a level 5 felony; four counts of forgery, level 6 felonies; and four counts of theft, level 6 felonies.
Charges filed against Kerlin include corrupt business influence, a level 5 felony; four counts of forgery, level 6 felonies; and four counts of theft, Class A misdemeanors.
On March 9, Pierceton Police Department officer Tim Sammons responded to a theft complaint at a Pierceton business. Upon arrival, he spoke with the business’s controller who said numerous unauthorized checks from the company had been written by and to the previous controller, Huston, without the company’s permission. Huston then endorsed the checks and cashed them. He said Huston also wrote unauthorized checks from the business to Kerlin. He said Huston also deposited some of the checks through electronic deposit.
Huston was fired from the business on Dec. 29.
The business provided copies of the unauthorized checks to Huston and Kerlin. Sammons found the three unauthorized checks written to Huston by Huston and then electronically deposited into her bank account were for $1,442.31, deposited Nov. 3; $1,442.31, deposited Dec. 30; and $1,986.42, deposited Feb. 26.
Eleven checks were written pay to Huston, signed Huston and cashed by Huston from June 30, 2017, to Feb. 26, 2018, and totaled $6,108. One of those checks was cashed at a department store for $1,000 on June 30, 2017. Two other checks written to Huston, signed by her and cashed by her at the same department store were for $400 and $750.
Thirty-three unauthorized checks were written pay to Kerlin, signed Huston and cashed by Kerlin beginning June 20, 2016, through Dec. 12, 2017. The total amount of the unauthorized checks was $5,035, according to court documents.
One check pay to Kerlin and signed Huston for $65 was cashed Dec. 12, 2017, at a Warsaw deli mart. Sammons spoke with an employee there who said she personally knew Kerlin and Kerlin endorsed and cashed the check.
Kerlin also cashed unauthorized checks from the Pierceton business for $100 on Nov. 27, 2017, and $80 on Oct. 23, 2017. Court documents stated that “many more fraudulent” checks were cashed at the deli mart by Kerlin.
One fraudulent check from the business was cashed at another Warsaw department store for $180 on Aug. 8.
The Pierceton business told Sammons that one of the fraudulent checks was to a woman for $8,655.42 and was presented to Vigo County Federal Credit Union on March 23, 2018.
Kendall Jo Kerlin, 32, of 1507 W. Ind. 14, Silver Lake, was arrested and booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 3:19 p.m. Wednesday; and Nicole Marie Huston, 38, Columbia City, was arrested and booked into the KCJ at 6:28 p.m. Wednesday, both for corrupt business influence and on bonds of $12,500.
Court documents filed Monday list the charges against Huston as corrupt business influence, a level 5 felony; four counts of forgery, level 6 felonies; and four counts of theft, level 6 felonies.
Charges filed against Kerlin include corrupt business influence, a level 5 felony; four counts of forgery, level 6 felonies; and four counts of theft, Class A misdemeanors.
On March 9, Pierceton Police Department officer Tim Sammons responded to a theft complaint at a Pierceton business. Upon arrival, he spoke with the business’s controller who said numerous unauthorized checks from the company had been written by and to the previous controller, Huston, without the company’s permission. Huston then endorsed the checks and cashed them. He said Huston also wrote unauthorized checks from the business to Kerlin. He said Huston also deposited some of the checks through electronic deposit.
Huston was fired from the business on Dec. 29.
The business provided copies of the unauthorized checks to Huston and Kerlin. Sammons found the three unauthorized checks written to Huston by Huston and then electronically deposited into her bank account were for $1,442.31, deposited Nov. 3; $1,442.31, deposited Dec. 30; and $1,986.42, deposited Feb. 26.
Eleven checks were written pay to Huston, signed Huston and cashed by Huston from June 30, 2017, to Feb. 26, 2018, and totaled $6,108. One of those checks was cashed at a department store for $1,000 on June 30, 2017. Two other checks written to Huston, signed by her and cashed by her at the same department store were for $400 and $750.
Thirty-three unauthorized checks were written pay to Kerlin, signed Huston and cashed by Kerlin beginning June 20, 2016, through Dec. 12, 2017. The total amount of the unauthorized checks was $5,035, according to court documents.
One check pay to Kerlin and signed Huston for $65 was cashed Dec. 12, 2017, at a Warsaw deli mart. Sammons spoke with an employee there who said she personally knew Kerlin and Kerlin endorsed and cashed the check.
Kerlin also cashed unauthorized checks from the Pierceton business for $100 on Nov. 27, 2017, and $80 on Oct. 23, 2017. Court documents stated that “many more fraudulent” checks were cashed at the deli mart by Kerlin.
One fraudulent check from the business was cashed at another Warsaw department store for $180 on Aug. 8.
The Pierceton business told Sammons that one of the fraudulent checks was to a woman for $8,655.42 and was presented to Vigo County Federal Credit Union on March 23, 2018.
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