Holts Summit woman pleads guilty to forgery

A Holts Summit woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of forgery in Cole County court.

Tammy Patton, 42, was charged in connection with a burglary at Gidco Auto Sales on Stadium Boulevard in Jefferson City in October 2017, according to court documents.

Cole County Presiding Judge Pat Joyce placed Patton on five years of supervised probation.

Four checks were stolen from the business. Two were cashed at Jefferson Bank locations on Southwest Boulevard totaling $654. She attempted to cash another check at Central Bank on Country Club Drive for $3,900, but that transaction was denied after the teller called the business owner.

The business owner said Patton was the girlfriend of someone who worked for a vehicle-detailing business he worked with. The boyfriend likely knew where a key was hidden to access the business.

Bank surveillance videos confirmed it was Patton who had attempted to cash the checks.

Authorities called Patton, who told them her friend needed help cashing a check and thought something was “fishy” when she was denied at Central Bank.