Moses Lake woman accused of stealing checks

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake woman allegedly stole checks out of a mailbox in Moses Lake because she was trying to get enough money together to bail her boyfriend out of jail.

Grant County prosecutors charged Taylor Oakland, 23, of Moses Lake, with two counts of second-degree possession of stolen property and forgery.

On Oct. 26 an employee at Washington Trust Bank, 402 S. Ash St., told police of a fraud at their location. Police were advised two suspects in a red passenger vehicle attempted to cash a forged check at the drive-thru window, according to court documents.

Police say the teller noticed that the payee on the check was scratched out and the name “Taylor Oakland” was written over the original payee’s name, which was reportedly still visible. The employee advised the owner of the bank account told the bank she had not written a check to Oakland. Police arrived at the scene and contacted the male driver of the vehicle and Oakland, who was in the passenger seat. Oakland said she received a check for items sold in a garage sale, but claimed she did not know the woman who wrote her the check.

The two subjects were advised to step out of the vehicle and a second stolen check was located in the back of the vehicle. The owner of the two checks advised she had placed the checks in her mailbox on West Peninsula Drive Oct. 23. Oakland stuck to her story and continued to claim she had received the checks from a woman who is a friend of her boyfriend’s mother.

“Oakland continued stating the same story and said we could call her boyfriend’s mother to try to get the lady's name that gave her the check. I asked Oakland why the same person would pay her in two separate checks. Oakland stated she did not know why,” wrote a MLPD officer.

The driver of the vehicle Oakland was in told officers he had received a call to give Oakland a ride about an hour to an hour and a half before they were contacted by police. He went on to claim Oakland was trying to get enough money together to bail her boyfriend out of jail.

The vehicle was impounded and a search warrant was served on the car. Officers reportedly located additional stolen checks, personal banking information, including account numbers and PIN numbers, and drug paraphernalia.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.