Local man gets 6-year sentence in forgery conviction

William Calvin Shaw, 42, of El Dorado, pleaded guilty last Tuesday to one count of forgery, a Class C felony, along with a habitual offender enhancement.

Shaw was sentenced to six years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

According to court records, Shaw has multiple previous convictions, including include a 2019 conviction on a theft of property charge and a 2017 conviction on 14 counts of forgery. The plea agreement available in court records indicates that Shaw has been convinced of four prior felonies.

The incident occurred on January 7, 2021 when an El Dorado Police Department officer received a forgery report from the victim in the case, according to court records.

The victim stated that “a transaction at Wal-Mart Super Center was made using one of her First Financial Bank personal checks” earlier that month for an amount of $320.04. The officer contacted a Wal-Mart Asset Protection employee, who tracked the transaction to the electronics department of the store and obtained surveillance footage.

According to court records, “the video showed a white male and black male present at the cashier station with the white male conducting the transaction.” Investigators contacted a confidential informant who “advised he was present with the white male” and “identified the individual who used the check as William ‘Billy’ Shaw.”

A photo “connected” to Shaw’s driver’s license was then compared to photographs from Wal-Mart surveillance footage for positive identification, records say.

Shaw appeared before Judge Robin Carroll in the 13th Judicial District, Division 4 courtroom.