A Porter resident was booked into the Porter County Jail on May 26 on charges of forgery, defrauding a financial institution, and theft, the Porter County Sheriff’s Police said.

Regina Ann Westley, 30, of 1361 Lawson Lane, Apt. B, was arrested on those charges at 4:25 p.m. by the PCSP, police said.

According to the probable cause affidavit filed by Det. Robert Schrader of the Portage Police Department, on Jan. 25 Westley opened an account at 1st Source Bank with a deposit of $5 and was given a debit card. Then, between Feb. 10 and Feb. 15, Westley deposited three checks into that account, totaling $2,588.30 and purportedly written on a PNC Bank account for Quality Care Cleaning, Schrader stated. Those checks—apparently payroll checks—were subsequently returned with the notation that the Quality Care Cleaning account could not be located, Schrader stated.

On Feb. 16 1st Source Bank deactivated Westley’s debit card but by that time she had caused “her account to be overdrawn in the amount of $4,704.99, including fees,” Schrader stated, while “Westley was still trying to use the card on Feb. 18.”

Westley also cashed three Quality Care Cleaning checks—totaling $2,165.56—at a BP gas station in Portage on Feb. 19, 26, and 28, Schrader stated.

Schrader was unable to find a Quality Care Cleaning at the address listed on the checks and PNC Bank in East Chicago was unable to locate any such account, Schrader stated.

Westley, for her part, advised Schrader that she received the checks “for doing cleaning jobs,” that she “did not know that the checks were bad,” and that “she first knew the checks were bad when BP contacted her.”

Westley also advised Schrader that “she is willing to make restitution to 1st Source and BP.”

Forgery and defrauding a financial institution are Class C felonies punishable by a term of two to eight years; theft, a Class D felony punishable by a term of six months to three years.

Posted 6/3/2011