Visalia man sentenced for passing bad checks

Judge Brett Alldredge of the Tulare County Superior Court sentenced a Visalia man to state prison for passing nonsufficient funds checks, the Tulare County District Attorney’s office reported.

On Oct. 11, Donald Land, 51, of Visalia, pleaded guilty to 13 felony counts of passing non-sufficient funds checks at 13 different businesses throughout Tulare County. Land also admitted a special allegation that he was out on bail when a number of the checks were cashed.

Land passed a total of 43 checks for over $21,000 between Nov. 20, 2016 and May 8, 2017 from his own closed bank account. Land was on mandatory supervision during that time for prior, similar offenses and continued to write non-sufficient funds checks after he was arraigned in March on new charges.

Under Penal Code 1170(h), a 2011 effort to reduce the prison population passed by the California Legislature as part of AB 109, the court has the discretion to split a state prison sentence between county jail and mandatory supervision by county probation. As such, Land will serve two years, six months in local custody before being placed on mandatory supervision for seven years, six months with the Tulare County Probation Department.

As part of his sentence, Land will have to pay restitution to each business.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney Brittany Knotts of the Financial Crimes Division and investigated by Dinuba Police Department, Exeter Police Department, Porterville Police Department, Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, Tulare Police Department, Visalia Police Department and Woodlake Police Department.