About 30 people arrested for writing bad checks

By Jamie Rogers
Morning News Reporter
Published: December 5, 2008

The constables weren’t joking when they announced plans to aggressively seek out and arrest people who have written bad checks in Florence County.

This week alone, about 30 people have been arrested for writing bad checks.

Eighteen people were booked into the Florence County Detention Center in Effingham on Wednesday alone, Chief Constable Tommy Spell said.

“I can say this operation has been very successful,” Spell said.

Because of a new rule implemented in January, everyone who has written fraudulent checks must be arrested and processed through the detention center, he said.

Still, constables are pleading with people to turn themselves in at the Magistrate’s Office.

“Just come down here and talk to us,” Spell said. “You have a right to go before a magistrate who will explain the information to you ... but we still have to take you down to the jail and book you in. We might not keep you there, but you have to be booked in.”

But if constables have to track a person down at home, at work or even at restaurant, that person will be arrested on the spot and taken to jail where a magistrate will be available, Spell said.

The Florence County Magistrate’s Office is expecting an increase in the amount of bad checks written this month because of the holidays.

“People are writing checks just to get by,” Spell said. “Then you have some people that write a bad check and then write another bad check to cover the first bad check and so on. That’s what you call kiting checks.”

Authorities are encouraging merchants to check patrons’ identification and to make sure they have the correct address.

Constables are set to debut a program next month that will further help them track down offenders.

“We’re going to beat the bush harder in January,” Spell said. “We going to be looking for people. That means we’re going to be extra, extra busy.”