Man Gets Prison for Forging Northampton County Checks

A New York man who was involved in a scheme that stole more than $18,000 from Northampton County is headed to jail.

According to the Express-Times, David Weatherly was sentenced Tuesday to spend one to two years in county prison for his role in a ring of people accused of forging checks from the county and stealing money from other criminal defendants.

Police say Weatherly and other people involved in the scheme would cash those checks at local stores.

The money came from an account run by the county's criminal division. Defendants deposit money in that account, and get it back -- in the form of a check -- when their cases are resolved.

That system has prompted county Executive John Stoffa to call for legislation that would switch from checks to debit cards, especially since the county has apparently been a victim of the scam more than once.