January 25, 2024
By: Dwayne Page
An Alexandria businessman has been arrested and charged with four counts of forgery.
50-year-old Stein Edward Prichard of Brush Creek Road, Brush Creek, manager of Prichard’s Foods, is under a bond of $26,000 and he will make his first appearance in General Sessions Court on February 8.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that Prichard is accused of having altered checks of two store customers, changing the actual amounts to much higher amounts.
“People would come into the store and buy goods and would write a check and then he allegedly would change the amount of the check and run it through the bank and used the proceeds for his benefit,” said Sheriff Ray.
“We got a report at the sheriff’s department on December 5 about an altered check and found it was altered at Prichard’s Foods. We started an investigation with assistance of the District Attorney’s office. They assigned an investigator to help us. A total of four subpoenas were issued on business records of the store. We found one victim had three altered checks while there was one altered check on another victim That’s what the investigation revealed,” said Sheriff Ray.
The four forgery counts allege as follows:
“On or about March 30, 2023 Prichard forged a personal check belonging to a victim by altering the amount from $247.60 to $3,247.60 with intent to defraud the victim.”
“On or about April 11, 2023 Prichard forged a personal check belonging to a victim by altering the amount from $135.36 to $935.36 with intent to defraud the victim”
“On or about April 12, 2023, Prichard forged a personal check belonging to a victim by altering the amount from $199.26 to $5,199.26”
“ On or about December 2, 2023, Prichard forged a personal check belonging to a victim by altering the amount from $205.69 to $6,205.69”