A Holts Summit man has been sentenced to five years in prison on chargea of stealing from several Jefferson City businesses by opening a checking account and writing more than $3,600 of checks with no money in the account.
Justin Bruce, 33, is also accused of charging more than $1,200 in merchandise on a businesses charge account, using a false identity and having no authority to make the charges and then trading the property for narcotics.
He pleaded guilty to one count of felony theft and three counts of passing bad checks.
His sentence will run concurrent with existing Department of Corrections time.
Court records show the checks were written between April and May 2013 at nine different Jefferson City businesses.
Bruce fled to Missouri from Texas to avoid arrest and prosecution on forgery charges there.