Crime & Safety
Woman Accused of Cashing Bad Checks
An Allentown woman has been accused of cashing bad checks from a South Whitehall employment agency, according to court documents. Charges do not indicate a conviction.
A woman is accused of cashing about $1,000 in bad checks last October in Bethlehem – the same day she cashed a bad check in Allentown.
The Bethlehem checks, and apparently the Allentown check, appeared to be from a South Whitehall employment agency. The agency told police the Bethlehem checks were fraudulent.
Police say Chantel D. Byrd, 32, of Allentown cashed a $594.81 check at United Check Cashing, 1814 Stefko Blvd., and a $397.88 check at Stefko Mini Mart, 1907 Stefko Blvd. She cashed both checks on Oct. 19.
The checks appeared to be from CK Hobbie, an employment agency on the 3400 block of Hamilton Boulevard.
In a criminal complaint, Bethlehem Det. Christopher Beebe said when the store owners went to deposit the checks, their banks would not accept them.
Beebe spoke with a CK Hobbie official, who said Byrd never worked for the company, the checks were fraudulent and that the company never issued any payment to Byrd.
The official added that Allentown police said Byrd apparently did the same thing in Allentown with a phony CK Hobbie check about the same time as the Bethlehem incidents.
Online court records show that Byrd pleaded guilty in February to a bad check incident in Allentown that also was on Oct. 19. She received two years of probation and had to make $594.44 in restitution.
For the Bethlehem incidents, Byrd, of 504 Gordon St., was charged with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, bad checks and forgery.
She was arraigned Wednesday afternoon by on-duty District Judge Jackie Taschner of Palmer Township and committed to Northampton County Prison after failing to post $5,000 bail.