FARMINGTON — Police say a Phillips man stole checks from a 94-year-old woman’s checkbook, forged the woman’s name on them and cashed them.  

Franklin County Deputy Colt Bernhardt arrested Brent Adams, 41, on felony charges of two counts of theft and two counts of forgery, Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. said Thursday.

The older woman noticed a discrepancy in his checkbook and discovered that two checks were missing.

Further investigation revealed that the stolen checks had been written out to Adams, Nichols said.

“It was determined that not only had the checks been stolen, but the complainant’s name and signature had been forged,” Nichols said.

Adams was found and questioned. He admitted to the theft and forgery, blaming it on his drug addiction, he said.

The amount of the checks totaled $110.

The charges were elevated to felonies because of prior criminal history, Nichols said.

Adams was found guilty of forgery in a Farmington court in 2014 and fined $300, according to the Sun Journal’s court records.

NOTE: The gender of the victim was changed after the story was first published. It was incorrectly reported by the Sun Journal.

dperry@sunmediagroup.net