By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

Haley Lynn Mendez

WARSAW — A teenager was arrested after allegedly attempting to cash fraudulent checks at Warsaw businesses.

Haley Lynn Mendez, 18, New Haven, is charged with two counts of forgery, both level 6 felonies; and theft, a class A misdemeanor.

On Aug. 8, a Warsaw Police officer went to the Lake City Bank branch on East Center Street regarding a possible fraud attempt. A bank employee said a woman, later identified as Mendez, entered the bank’s drive-thru and attempted to cash a check in the amount of $944.72.

According to court documents, the employee assisting Mendez realized the check was fraudulent as it was not verified through the bank’s system. When Mendez was informed the check could not be cashed, Mendez asked the employee to return it to her. The bank kept the check and Mendez left the scene.

Surveillance footage from the bank helped officers identify the suspect as Mendez. During the investigation, a Warsaw detective spoke with a representative for the business where the check was from. The representative said the business never employed Mendez and did not write her a check. She also said the business and Lake City Bank implemented safety measures after an attempt was made to cash a fraudulent check at a Fort Wayne bank in July 2023.

Mendez was interviewed on Aug. 15 about the incident. She told a detective she saw an advertisement on social media for a work-from-home job and responded to the post. Mendez said the individual who posted the ad offered her the job and that she was mailed a $1,000 check even though she had not started working yet.

Mendez said the individual further instructed her to cash the check in Warsaw. She admitted to driving to Warsaw to cash the check. When asked if she had also been in Warsaw on Aug. 10, Mendez said she passed through the city while traveling to Chicago with a friend.

On Aug. 18, a Warsaw Police officer went to Warsaw Express regarding fraudulent checks being returned to the business. The store’s manager said two checks from two separate customers were cashed but returned to him, as they were cancelled or not funded by the issuer. Mendez’s name was on one of those checks.

The fraudulent checks were in the total amount of $877.62.

Aug. 10 was the same day a check was deposited by Warsaw Express.

Mendez was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on Aug. 15.