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Dutchess County Woman's Refusal to Show in Court on Bad Check Charge Leads to Arrest
Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith reports the arrest of a Dutchess County resident after she failed to appear in court to answer a bad check charge.
According to the Sheriff, in December of 2006, Christina M. Sceppaquercia of Hopewell Junction, New York issued check to a business located in the Town of Southeast in the amount of $617.03. The check was refused for payment due to insufficient funds when it was presented to a banking facility. After making several attempts to have her make restitution for the bad check, the merchant contacted the sheriff's office in February of 2007 and reported the crime.
The matter was assigned to Investigator Thomas Velotti of the Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Investigator Velotti contacted Ms. Sceppaquercia and also made attempts to have her make payment to the victim to satisfy the complaint. After all attempts failed, Ms. Sceppaquercia was arrested on March 25, 2007 and charged with Issuing a Bad Check, a class "A" misdemeanor. She was arraigned in Southeast Town Court and remanded to the Putnam County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail. She was later released after posting the required bail and was issued an October 10, 2007 court date.
Sheriff Smith says that Ms. Sceppaquercia failed to appear before Justice James Borkowski as required. This prompted Justice Borkowski to issue a Bench Warrant for her arrest. Information pertaining to Ms. Sceppaquercia was entered into the national crime information center computer that indicated that an active warrant existed for her arrest.
On December 18, 2007, the Town of East Fishkill Police Department notified the Sheriff's Office that they had located Ms. Sceppaquercia during a traffic stop. A computer check conducted by police revealed the outstanding warrant.
Ms. Sceppaquercia was taken into custody by East Fishkill police and held for sheriff's investigators.
Armed with the Bench Warrant, Investigators Nicholas DePerno, Jr, and James Bambino traveled to East Fishkill and arrested Ms. Sceppaquercia. She was returned to the Putnam County Sheriffs Office in Carmel where she was processed and released without bail. She is due to return before Justice Borkowski in Southeast Justice Court on January 9, 2008.
A conviction of the crime of Issuing a Bad Check may result in a term of imprisonment for a term not to exceed one year in the Putnam County Correctional Facility.
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