Janelle Nicole McClellan

WINONA LAKE — Janelle McClellan, 23, 1202 Wooster Road, No. 68, Winona Lake, has been charged with forgery, a level 6 felony, and attempted theft, class A misdemeanor, after attempting to cash a check from a family member she forged.

McClellan was booked Jan. 17 and held on $5,250 surety and cash bond.

Warsaw Police were notified Jan. 17 by officials at PNC Bank who had became suspicious of McClellan trying to cash a check from another individual. That person, a family member of McClellan’s, was contacted and told authorities McClellan did not have permission to cash a check.

Police spoke to McClellan who voluntarily handed the check in question to police. She told police it had been given to her by a family member and she had written her name on the “Pay to the Order of” line, but the rest was filled out by the family member, including the signature. She later stated she had filled out the entire check, except the signature. After police compared the signature to the bank’s signature card, McClellan admitted to forging the signature and admitting to taking the check from the family member’s residence.

Police did speak to the victim, who stated McClellan had recently asked him/her for money, but was refused and McClllan was not given permission to use the check, nor was she given the check.