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Published on 10/02/1995 All articles from this issue

Forgery ring hits Great Western for fifth time

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By Joanne Griffith Domingue / Town Crier Staff Writer

Los Altos Police officers arrested two people on charges of forgery and conspiracy for trying to cash forged checks Sept. 27 at the Great Western Bank at Third and Main streets.

Donald Halton, 35, a transient with addresses in Mountain View, Hayward and Oakland, and Dee-dra Donegan, 18, of Oakland, entered the bank about 3 in the afternoon, said Los Altos Police detective Tracy Gurecki.

They tried to cash a check on a closed account.

"Earlier that day they were successful in cashing a forged check at a Great Western in Mountain View," Gurecki said.

Los Altos Police have connected Halton to two other cases of check forgery in Los Altos, one on Sept. 6 and one on Sept. 23, also at Great Western, Gurecki said.

All the checks involved were on closed accounts. Halton would not comment to police on where he got the checks.

The forged checks that have been successfully cashed have ranged from $75 to $260, Gurecki said.

This is the fifth time this month the Los Altos branch has been hit, said David Nakamura, Great Western customer service manager.

He said an East Bay ring has been coming through this area and goes to multiple banks in one day.

"There should not be a next time," Nakamura said. "We think we've put the message out that we're on to them."