A Kansas man has been charged in connection with a check-cashing scheme that took place in Jefferson City.
Dale Gardner, 43, is charged with two counts of forgery and one count of stealing.
The investigation started after officers were called to a vehicle theft in the 2000 block of Trenton Court around 7 a.m. Jan. 24, according to a Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statement.
Within a couple hours of this call, the vehicle was found in the 900 block of Madison Street and had damage to the interior as if there had been an attempt to set the vehicle on fire.
The owner responded and told officers his briefcase, along with his billfold that contained checks for his business, were missing.
Later that day, three of those business checks were either cashed or attempted to be cashed at local banks by two men.
The next day, another of the checks was cashed at a bank in Holts Summit by a woman.
As the investigation unfolded, officers talked with the three people who had cashed the checks, which led them to Gardner. The three said they would testify against Gardner and added he had paid them to go to the banks and cash the checks.
When questioned, Gardner told authorities he didn't know anything about the checks being cashed, but when one of the people who cashed the checks was brought into the interview room and told how Gardner had paid her to do this, Gardner requested an attorney and the interview was stopped.
Gardner's criminal history shows he has several prior arrests, including for theft of a motor vehicle in the Kansas City area in 2012.