Cape man faces trial for stolen checks

A man charged with cashing more than $3,900 worth of stolen checks agreed Tuesday to go to trial on the charges.

Justin D. Roach, 20, of 1512 West End Blvd., waived his preliminary hearing on 11 felony and misdemeanor counts. He is charged with four counts of burglary, three counts of forgery, one count of felony theft and three misdemeanor thefts.

The burglaries all took place in Cape Girardeau. Roach is accused of cashing checks for amounts ranging from $673.15 to $3,250. Charges filed by assistant prosecutor Angel Woodruff also detail accusations that Roach stole a Dell laptop computer and bought take-out dinners at Pagoda Gardens restaurant with stolen checks.

The charges state the burglaries took place in late June and early July.

According to probable-cause affidavits filed by Cape Girardeau police Cpl. Don Perry, Roach admitted the burglaries and forgeries during interrogations on July 8 and July 14.

Following a June 17 burglary, Perry wrote, Roach cashed a $673.15 check at US Bank. He failed when he attempted to cash a check for more than $3,000 on June 18, Perry wrote.

After another burglary on June 20, Perry wrote, Roach cashed a check for $3,250 at Regions Bank. A July 4 break-in netted Roach the laptop computer, a CD player and DVDs, Perry wrote.

A burglary on July 5 netted Roach a silver wristwatch, a class ring and 14 checks, including the one Roach is accused of trading for the food from Pagoda Gardens.

Perry wrote that Roach admitted to another burglary. That crime was not included among the charges filed by Woodruff.

rkeller@semissourian.com

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