A Berkeley woman police say is responsible for cashing numerous
forged checks worth more than $24,000 was arrested at a Morgan Hill
bank Wednesday.
Morgan Hill
A Berkeley woman police say is responsible for cashing numerous forged checks worth more than $24,000 was arrested at a Morgan Hill bank Wednesday.
Maria Haverstock, 55, entered Bank of the West at 206 Tennant Station about 1:30 p.m. to attempt to cash a check. The bank’s corporate offices had previously distributed photographs of the woman to its branches in the area, warning employees that she was a suspect in a list of forged check-cashing incidents. The manager of the Morgan Hill branch immediately recognized the unidentified woman from the photos when she walked in Wednesday, and told other employees to hold the check until police arrived, according to Morgan Hill Police Sgt. Jerry Neumayer.
When MHPD officers arrived, they approached Haverstock as she was exiting the bank. Neumayer said she told the officers, “OK, I tried to cash a check that was not mine.”
Upon her arrest, Haverstock was taken to the police station and interviewed. Officers discovered through their investigation that Haverstock was a suspect in several similar thefts at other Bank of the West branches and a Washington Mutual. The banks where the crimes were committed are in Newark, Campbell, Lathrop and Patterson, Neumayer said.
“The total loss to all banks was over $24,000,” he said.
Haverstock was booked into Santa Clara County Jail for commercial burglary, possession of stolen property, possession of a forged driver’s license, forging access card, identity theft, grand theft and violation of probation.
She was on active probation for possession of stolen property out of Contra Costa County, according to Neumayer.
Anyone with more information may contact the Morgan Hill Police Dept. at (408) 779-4106.
