Hot Springs woman charged with multiple forgery counts
A Hot Springs woman has been charged with multiple counts of felony forgery after allegedly writing more than $7,000 worth of checks to herself from her employer’s checkbook over the course of the last year.
Jennifer H. Sokol, 64, who lists an Oaklawn
Street address, was arrested at the Hot Springs
Police Department, 641 Malvern Ave., and charged with 19 counts of felony forgery, punishable by up to 10 years in prison for each count, and felony theft of property, also punishable by up to 10 years of prison.
She remains in custody in lieu of a $70,000 bond and is set to appear in Garland County District Court on Nov. 27.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the owner of All Ages Home and Health Care, 618 Hobson Ave., reported a theft and forgery from the business on Oct. 4. An official there reportedly advised that several checks were made out to his accountant, later identified as Sokol, over the course of several months.
He allegedly discovered that 19 checks were made out to Sokol for more than $7,000 beginning in February, with the most recent being in August.
When he approached Sokol about the missing checks, she allegedly admitted to forging one check and claimed she would pay him back. He reportedly terminated her employment and contacted the police department.
After checking on Sokol’s bank account, an officer saw where she had reportedly deposited the check to one of her two bank accounts without the authorization of the check holder.