Crime & Safety

Man Steals, Cashes Checks from Phoenixville Non-Profit, Police Say

According to police, the man cashed $850 in checks he swiped from Orion Communities.

A 33-year-old West Chester man is in Chester County Prison after police say he stole and cashed four checks from a Phoenixville non-profit.

According to court documents, on Feb. 14, the CEO of Orion Communities Inc.—a Bridge Street-based organization that helps men and women hampered by disabilities, poverty, or other personal and legal problems integrate more fully into their communities—told Phoenixville Police that 10 checks had gone missing from his office.

The CEO noticed the checks went missing on Feb. 13, and put a stop on them that day. He was notified on the 14th though that he acted too late. One of the checks had already been cashed for $100 at Customers Bank, while three more, in the amounts of $275, $250, and $225, were cashed at Heidi Sue Variety Store at 240 Bridge Street.

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Police say they learned that the man who cashed the checks was a client at Orion Communities who had been in the office the day before the CEO noticed the checks were missing.

Police say surveillance photos obtained from Customers Bank confirmed the defendant’s identity. He was arrested on Feb. 26, charged with four counts of forgery and additional misdemeanors related to the allegation, and had a preliminary hearing on March 7. He faces formal arraignment on March 14.

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