Published: June 06, 2008 11:08 pm      

Clinton woman is facing three felonies

CLINTON — A Clinton woman has been charged with three felonies after authorities say she attempted to cash three forged checks at three separate check-cashing businesses last week.

According to court documents, Fannie Lewis, 49, 635 Ninth Ave. South, was arrested at her residence Wednesday, and charged with three counts of felony forgery and one count of third-degree theft in connection with the incidents.

Records show that on May 20, an employee at Cash AdvantEdge, 1530 Camanche Ave., called police to report a woman had cashed a bad check in the amount of $579.65. The employee stated that soon after the woman, who identified herself as Lewis, left with the money, she received a call from an employee at Hometown Cash Advantage, 2463 Camanche Ave., advising her to watch out for Lewis, who had reportedly tried to cash a bad check for $659.23 there.

The Hometown Cash Advantage employee stated that Lewis had allegedly attempted to cash a check from the Fifth Third Bank in Chicago, and started acting strangely and left when the employee began asking questions. She contacted the bank, and was told the account on which the checks had been drawn was closed in June 2007. Police attempted to contact the business named on the check, American Creative Solutions of Schaumburg, Ill., but the number was disconnected.

Police apprehended Lewis during a traffic stop later that day, during which she admitted to cashing a check she knew was bad, police say. Lewis denied forging the checks herself, instead saying she was contacted by someone, whom she refused to name, over the telephone and agreed to cash the checks and split the money.

On May 23, police were contacted by a manager at Clinton Check Cashers, 1401 N. Second St., who stated that Lewis had cashed a check at the business in the amount of $538.46, but came back that day and returned the money, claiming her employer had issued a check for the wrong amount and asked her to return it so they could issue a new one, police say.

Lewis was released from the Clinton County Jail by Adult Probation and Parole court services, and is scheduled for a hearing on June 18. Forgery is a class D felony, and carries a maximum prison sentence of five years. Third-degree theft, an aggravated misdemeanor, is punishable by up to two years in prison.