Police: Man wrote bad checks from checkbook found in dumpster

Dan Holtz, The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
·2 min read

Dec. 3—EAU CLAIRE — An Eau Claire man wrote several bad checks from a checkbook that had been discarded in a dumpster, authorities say.

Maurice K. Skinner, 39, was charged this week in Eau Claire County Court with four felony counts of forgery, two felony counts of bail jumping and a felony count of identity theft.

Skinner is free on a $1,000 signature bond, which prohibits him from having contact with the victim or the 800 block of Oxford Avenue.

Skinner returns to court Jan. 11.

According to the criminal complaint:

A man told Eau Claire police Oct. 28 that someone had obtained his checkbook that he had discarded in a dumpster.

Royal Credit Union had contacted him about several bounced checks. The checks bounced because the man's RCU account had been closed for some time.

The man said he threw his checkbook into the dumpster while moving out of his residence on Gray Street.

Eight checks from the account were passed at Kwip Trip stores in Eau Claire, Altoona, Chippewa Falls, Chetek, Wausau and Green Bay from Oct. 9-11.

All the stores except for the one in Chetek had surveillance videos or photos of the suspect passing the forged checks to the cashier, and arriving and leaving in the same vehicle — a silver Jeep Liberty.

An Eau Claire police officer was able to identify the suspect as Skinner.

Skinner passed four of the bad checks in Eau Claire County:

—On Oct. 9, Skinner bought gas, cigarettes and a fountain drink at a Kwik Trip in Eau Claire for $70.

—On Oct. 10, Skinner bought gas and antifreeze at a Kwik Trip in Altoona for $71.45.

—On Oct. 11, Skinner bought cigarettes and body spray at a Kwik Trip in Eau Claire for $49.34.

—On Oct. 11, Skinner bought donuts, alcohol and cigarettes at a Kwik Trip in Eau Claire for $60.32.

Bad checks totaling $85, $24, $54.60 and $61.71 were passed in Wausau, Chetek, Green Bay and Chippewa Falls.

During this time, Skinner was free on bond for pending criminal cases in Eau Claire and Rusk counties. Conditions of the bond in both cases prohibited him from committing new crimes.

Skinner is being prosecuted as a repeat offender. He was convicted of three misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct between September 2018 and November 2020 in Eau Claire County.

If convicted of all seven charges, Skinner could be sentenced to up to 21 years in prison.