A 40 year old man is facing four counts of 2nd degree forgery after police were called to Lobo’s City Mex at 340 N 27th Street on Sunday around 6:30 p.m. A man was trying to cash a suspected forged payroll check for $2,358. The store locked the doors holding the man inside until police arrived. The man then tried to use a stool to smash a window to get out.
When police arrived, the doors were unlocked and the man tried to push his way past the officers. There was a brief struggle before William Schippert was taken into custody.
Employees at Lobo’s reported the recognized Schippert as a man from a previous case where a fraudulent check was cashed back on August 7th. In that case, the check was for $2,200. Officers were able to identify Schippert as the suspect by using store secuirty video. Police then determined that Schippert was a suspect in several other cases involving stolen checks.
In late June, a man called police that his vehicle had been broken into and his wallet taken. His debit card was then used several times in an attempt to withdraw money on an account at an ATM. Those transactions were captured on video and Schippert was identified as the person using the card. One of the victim’s check was also deposited into Schippert’s bank account for $376 with a forged signature.
Another victim reported that his vehicle was broken into in July and his checkbook taken. A check was deposited into Schippert’s bank account for $350 with a forged signature.
Police then learned on August 5th that Schippert had opened a bank account and artificially inflated that account by using a fraudulent check written for $2,873 from what appeared to be another payroll check. The signature from the business was incorrect and had been forged. Schippert then withdrew the money before the checks had cleared leaving the bank with a loss.
Along with the forgery charges, Schippert was booked for theft by deception, theft by receiving, criminal possession of a financial transaction device and criminal mischief.