A Waldo man was arrested earlier this month for forgery and theft of property involving personal checks and other papers and documents containing sensitive information and the investigation into the matter is ongoing, El Dorado police said.
Gregory L. McLeod, 36, faces multiple felony charges, including seven counts of second-degree forgery and at least one count of theft by receiving and misdemeanor charges of theft of property and driving on a suspended license, fourth offense.
The charges stem from arrests on Feb. 9 and 6 and additional charges could be forthcoming.
At approximately 9:33 p.m. on Feb. 6, McLeod was arrested during a traffic stop in the area of 30th Street and North Oak Lane after officers reportedly noticed a broken taillight on his vehicle.
Police took McLeod into custody after learning that his driver’s license was suspended and there was a fictitious license plate on the truck that he was driving — a white, 1995 Nissan pickup.
Officers learned that McLeod has a search waiver on file with the Arkansas Department of Community Correction.
A person who is placed on supervised parole or probation is required to sign a search waiver that allows for a warrantless search of a residence or motor vehicle at any time, day or night, whenever requested by a certified law enforcement officer or any officer with the ADCC, according to Arkansas Code 16-93-106.
During a search, police said they found numerous personal checks that were blank and pieces of mail, documents and other papers containing sensitive information — including bank account and Social Security numbers and email and residential addresses — inside the truck and inside McLeod’s wallet.
Police said they attempted to contact the people whose names were listed on the checks and at the time, they were able to reach only one person, a Union County woman who said she knew McLeod via a mutual friend.
The woman told police that she stayed at her friend’s residence on Feb. 4, noting that McLeod was also visiting the residence at the time.
She said she later noticed that several items were missing from her bag and she did not know that McLeod had stolen her checks, adding that he was not authorized to use the checks or have them in his possession.
The names on the personal checks that were recovered from the pickup truck were Chelsea Garrett, Kenneth J. Cannon, Joshua D. Carter, Arthur Rickard, Victoria F. Nickleberry and Alexander W. Najdzion.
Names that appeared on the pieces of mail and other documents include Steven D. Kiraly Jr., Richard A. Harmon, Jonathan A. Harmon, Dave Miley, Peyton C. Morehead, Jason Ubillas and Jose Ubillas.
McLeod was initially arrested for second-degree forgery and driving on a suspended driver’s license and two days later, the charges were amended to six counts of second-degree forgery and theft by receiving.
He was arrested again on similar charges on Feb. 9 after officers responded to a report of a domestic disturbance involving a man and woman at Walmart Supercenter, 2730 N. West Ave.
Police were called to the scene at 1 p.m. and they spoke to McLeod’s wife, who said the pair had been arguing about marital issues.
Officers said they searched the couple’s vehicle, noting that the white Nissan pickup truck did not have a license plate, and found two personal checks belonging to Garrett inside a tool box in the bed of the truck.
McLeod was taken into custody after officers determined that he had forged one of the checks, according to a police report.
McLeod also reportedly confessed to forging personal checks belonging to Nickleberry.
An investigator with the El Dorado Police Department reported Friday that while McLeod was in custody following the Feb. 9 arrest, she interviewed him upon his request and he said he used one of Nickleberry’s checks on Jan. 20 to purchase items totaling $500 at Walmart Supercenter in El Dorado.
Two receipts provided by McLeod confirmed the purchases on Jan. 20 and showed that some of the items were returned to the store for a cash refund on the same day, the detective said.
Assault
A man told police late Thursday night that he was pistol-whipped by an unidentified assailant who chided the complainant for being disrespectful to his mother.
Police responded at 11:53 p.m. Thursday to an initial report of an unwanted person Hillsboro Town House Apartments, 1600 Short E. Hillsboro.
A 39-year-old man told officers that he was talking to his mother about a personal matter when the suspect struck him in the head with a gun “because he was talking bad to his mother.”
Police said the victim sustained a small laceration and a bruise on the left side of the forehead.
He declined medical attention and told police that he did not wish to press charges against the suspect, police said.