Fritz Bernier, 56, Indianapolis
HANCOCK COUNTY — An alert bank teller kept a local business from being robbed when an Indianapolis man tried to cash a fraudulent check in late July.
Fritz Bernier, 56, Indianapolis, has been charged with a Level 5 felony count of fraud, a Level 6 felony count of forgery, and a Class A misdemeanor count of theft stemming from an incident July 31.
Bernier was arrested late last week and had his case opened in Hancock County Circuit Court where Judge Scott Sirk set a $2,000 cash bond, entered a not guilty plea on Bernier’s behalf and appointed a public defender.
According to a probable cause affidavit, an officer with the New Palestine Police Department went to the Greenfield Banking Company (GBC) on 5700 block of West U.S. 52 after an individual there tried to pass a fraudulent and forged check.
The report noted that bank employees told the officer that Bernier tried to cash a check for $1,940 from Wooden Bear Brewing Company, 21 W North St., Greenfield to be paid to Bernier for roofing and tile work. The check, however, was fraudulently signed, the report stated.
According to the affidavit, the business owner told officials he had never endorsed the check nor did he know who Fritz Bernier was despite the signature looking similar to the business owner’s. The business owner noted he was not sure how Bernier was able to get a hold of a check that appeared to be from the Wooden Bear. The business owner told officials he is assuming one of his checks was stolen in the mail and had been copied and that’s how the signature looked similar but was not his.
Officials spoke with the bank teller, who called the business owner due to her feeling something was off, the report stated. The business owner informed bank officials he did not write the check, did not know who the man was, and did not want it cashed.
According to the affidavit, when the teller told Bernier she would not cash the check, he asked if it was because it’s a fake check or because there isn’t enough in the account, He then left the bank without the money. The bank teller had taken Bernier’s driver’s license number down when he first tried to cash the check, and officials were able to match his ID and determine it was Bernier who tried to cash the fake check.
The affidavit also noted that the business owner alerted police that earlier that same day someone else had tried to cash one of his business checks at the Cumberland GBC branch.
Court records say Bernier is due back in court in mid-November for a pretrial conference. Bernier was still listed as an inmate in the county jail as of print time.
