A Jefferson City man has been charged with one count of felony forgery for attempting to cash a nearly $2,900 phony check.
According to a Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statement, Michael Hammond, 33, tried to cash the check at Central Bank's main office on Madison Street.
The check showed it was written on Halloween on the account of a Jefferson City business and had the correct information on it.
Hammond told bank employees he had gotten the check for work he had done at the business, but bank employees were suspicious and contacted the business owner, who told them he and his wife were currently out of state.
When he was later questioned by authorities, Hammond admitted two men had asked him to cash the check for them and said they would pay him $200 for doing so. He said he didn't know the men, who had stopped him while he was walking on the street.
Hammond said the two men took a picture of his Missouri ID and sent it via text to another person. He rode with the men to a hotel on Jefferson Street, where they got the phony check, then drove to the bank.
Hammond said when he left the bank after staff refused to cash the check, the two men and their vehicle were gone.
Court records show Hammond had a felony receiving stolen property warrant out for his arrest out of St. Charles County, as well as a warrant out of Pacific for possession of drug paraphernalia.