An Audubon County man, who is accused of felony theft for stealing checks, has been scheduled for trial in Carroll County District Court. Thirty-four-year-old Richard Leonard Chickering of Gray faces one count of second-degree theft, a class D felony, for cashing two checks, worth a combined $1,546, without permission from the account holder on Feb. 23 and Feb. 24. Chickering was originally charged with two counts of third-degree theft, an aggravated misdemeanor, but prosecutors opted to combine the charges into a single felony count. On Thursday, he entered a not guilty plea to the charge, and his trial is now scheduled to go begin on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at the Carroll County Courthouse. A pretrial conference will take place on Thursday, Nov. 15 to determine if the case will be resolved by plea agreement, be dismissed or proceed to trial. Second-degree theft carries a maximum penalty of $7,500 in fines and up to five years in prison.
