Man hired to clean out woman’s shed accused of stealing, forging her checks


John McCullough, Courtesy of Ozark County Jail.

A $1,000 cash-only bond has been issued for John Wesley McCullough, 37, of Gainesville, in connection with a case in which he is charged with eight counts of forgery. The case was filed Dec. 13. At press time, information on his next court date was not yet listed on online records.

According to a probable cause statement filed in the case, on Oct. 20, Marlene Morrison, 82, of Gainesville notified the sheriff’s office that some of her checks had been stolen, forged and cashed. During the course of the investigation, deputies confirmed that a total of eight checks had been forged and successfully cashed at Gainesville Town & Country Supermarket. Two of the eight checks had a driver’s license number written on the back that linked to McCullough, the statement says. 

Ozark County Sheriff’s Deputy Nick Jones confirmed with Town & Country Supermarket  that McCullough was the man who brought in and cashed the four checks on Oct. 20. 

McCullough was arrested in the case, and after being read his Miranda rights, he reportedly admitted to stealing the checks from Morrison’s storage unit about a month before when she hired him to clean it out for her. McCullough said he alone wrote out the eight checks, forged Morrison’s name and cashed them at Town & Country, according to the statement. The total value of the checks was $415. 

Ozark County Times

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