Rachael Leann Adams

WARSAW — A Warsaw woman is facing forgery charges after writing checks from a deceased man’s closed bank account.

Rachael Leann Adams, 38, 3762 West Old Road 30, Warsaw, is being charged with five counts of forgery, each a level 6 felony.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, on Feb. 5 officers with the Warsaw Police Department responded to a forgery at Short Stop Convenience Store. The manager of the store advised that on Jan. 25, a female later identified as Adams had entered the store on two separate occasions and had written checks that were returned on a closed bank account. The manager gave officers the forged checks as well as the surveillance footage of Adams using the checks.

Officers found that the owner of the checks was deceased. Officers spoke with his widow who advised the account owner had died in 2007 and his account was closed. The checks had been in a kitchen cabinet at her residence.

When officers spoke with Adams, she advised she had gotten the checks from a female who stated they belonged to her boyfriend’s ex-stepdad and were given to the couple to be used for emergencies. Adams admitted to using three or four of the checks, but could not remember specifically if she had used them at Short Stop.

Officers went to Wilby’s and discovered three more forged checks in the account’s name written over a two day period in late January. Copies of the checks and surveillance footage of Adams using the checks were obtained.

Rachael Leann Adams is being held at Kosciusko County Jail on $5,250 bond.