Woman Arrested For Alleged Fraud at Indian Wells Bank

INDIAN WELLS, CA — A Coachella woman who allegedly tried to pass a forged check at an Indian Wells bank was in custody Friday following a weeks- long investigation.

Esther Montoya, 35, was arrested Thursday near Airport Boulevard and Avenue 51 in Coachella, county jail records show.

Montoya is accused in a Jan. 4 fraud involving a bank in the 74000 block of Highway 111, according to sheriff's Sgt. Randy Vasquez.

An investigation that took place over the following month led law enforcement to her Coachella home, where she allegedly tried to flee, but "was soon apprehended a short distance away," Vasquez said.

She was booked into the Riverside County jail in Indio on suspicion of attempted to pass a forged check, identity theft, a probation violation and commercial burglary. She's being held in lieu of $110,000 bail, according to Vasquez.

— By City News Service / Image via Riverside County Sheriff's Department