Formal charges were filed earlier this week in District Court for Carroll County against an Illinois woman accused of check fraud nearly two years ago. According to court documents filed Dec. 22, 25-year-old Stephanie Fay Lockett of Country Club Hills, Ill. faces one count of forgery, a class D felony, and fourth-degree theft, a serious misdemeanor. The Carroll Police Department requested an arrest warrant for Lockett in January of 2018 after an investigation found she had allegedly cashed a check at Iowa Savings Bank for $600 on Dec. 11, 2017 with knowledge it had already been deposited using mobile banking a week earlier. Lockett was arrested on the outstanding warrant during a traffic stop in the 500 block of East Highway 30 on Nov. 9. Her arraignment hearing has been scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 9. If found guilty of the charges, she faces a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and more than $9,000 in fines.
