By Tim Ruzek
truzek@postbulletin.com
A 35-year-old man with several felony forgery cases pending in Iowa allegedly gave a forged check for more than $1,000 to an Austin man earlier this year.
Toby Martin James Welsh of Mason City, Iowa, is charged in Mower District Court with a single felony count of check forgery stemming from a Feb. 1, 2008, transaction with a 43-year-old man in Mower County.
Welsh appeared Thursday in Mower District Court, records show. A pretrial hearing is set for Jan. 16.
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According to a criminal complaint, Welsh, the owner of an alarm system company, told one of his salesmen that Welsh had sold a system to a Rochester auto-body shop, which was in the man’s sales territory. The check, purportedly from the auto shop, was made payable to the salesman for about $1,488.
Welsh told the man to cash the check, keep $500 and give him the rest of the money, the complaint says.
The check never cleared.
Officials at the auto shop told police they never bought a system and the check likely was forged.
On June 16, Mason City authorities informed Austin police that Welsh was arrested on six felony warrants for forgery from several Iowa jurisdictions, the complaint says.
Police found an online site connected to Welsh with the business name "A-Safe N’Secure."
