37 P.M., Officer Jon Dahlheimer was dispatched to Viking Bank in Alexandria, Douglas County, Minnesota, regarding an attempted fraud report. Upon his arrival, Officer Dahlheimer met with an employee of the bank, who said that an individual attempted to cash a check that was clearly altered. The employee gave Officer Dahlheimer a copy of the check and he could clearly see that a “one” was added to the amount, changing it from $200 to $1,200. The one was in a darker ink. It also appeared that, “Twelve” was written over the top of the “Two” with a darker pen on the section where the number is handwritten.
The employee got a copy of the driver’s license of the individual that attempted to cash the forged check and gave it to Officer Dahlheimer. The driver’s license identified the individual as the Defendant and the check was issued to the Defendant. The employee also said that the check issuer, DBA Budget Auto, was immediately notified and they confirmed the check amount was supposed to be $200.00. The employee said after they contacted DBA Budget Auto, they notified the Defendant that they would not accept the check.
The Defendant then contacted DBA Budget Auto and requested a new check in the amount of $200, which the bank accepted, and the Defendant was given the $200.00. Officer Dahlheimer referred the matter to investigator Elliot Draz, who contacted the Defendant by phone that same day. Investigator Draz asked the Defendant if she knew why he was calling and the Defendant said no. Investigator Draz asked the Defendant if she was at Viking Bank in Alexandria this afternoon and she said she was. Investigator Draz asked her to tell him about the check she cashed today, and she said she cashed a check for $200.00. Investigator Draz told the Defendant he was aware the check had been altered and asked her to explain the situation.
The Defendant said she just got the check, put it in her purse and got a ride to the bank. Investigator Draz told the Defendant he was looking for some honesty and advised her that he could understand if she was going through money troubles. The Defendant then said, “I am going through tough times and my car died on me yesterday.” Investigator Draz asked her if she was expecting a higher dollar amount and took it upon herself to change the dollar amount. The Defendant said, “Yea.
