OIL CITY, Pa. (EYT) — Charges against an Oil City woman accused of forging and cashing stolen checks were held for court on Wednesday.

According to court documents, during a preliminary hearing in front of Magisterial District Judge Matthew T. Kirtland on Wednesday, June 13, the following charges against 49-year-old Sheila Lee Whatley (Slater), of Oil City, were held for court:

– Forgery — Utters Forged Writing, Felony 2 (six counts)
– Theft By Unlawful Taking-Movable Property, Misdemeanor 1 (six counts)
– Theft By Deception-False Impression, Misdemeanor 1 (six counts)
– Receiving Stolen Property, Misdemeanor 1 (six counts)

The case has been transferred to the Venango County Court of Common Pleas.

Whatley is currently free on $10,000.00 unsecured bail.

Details of the case:

According to a criminal complaint, around 1:48 p.m. on September 10, 2017, Officer Webster was dispatched to a residence on Hiland Avenue in Oil City for a possible domestic incident and a theft, where a known female informed him that she was arguing with her nephew, and he had left the residence, but she believed he may have taken several checks without her permission.

On Thursday, September 21, Officer Webster received a phone call from the victim who informed him she had found three checks that had been written out to Sheila Whately.

The victim then met with Officer Webster at the police station and brought copies of the three checks. She told him that the writing and signature on the checks do not match her writing or signature. All three of the checks were written out on September 15, 2017, to Sheila Whatley in the amounts of $325.00, $175.00, and $200.00, respectively. The known female also provided copies of checks she had signed, according to the complaint.

On September 25, 2017, the known female informed Officer Webster an additional three checks had been written out to Sheila Whatley: one on September 15, 2017, in the amount of $325.00, one on September 20, 2017, in the amount of $350.00, and one on September 31, 2017, in the amount of $320.00. On all of the checks, the signature of the victim was forged.