Woman charged with forgery after trying to cash check from deceased man’s account

Officers found April Perry, 36, of Gainesville, hiding inside a pile of laundry Dec. 26, when they came to her residence to arrest her on an active warrant, the OCSD says. 

She is facing two cases in which she’s charged for allegedly trying to cash a check from a dead man’s account and two checks from a false business account.

According to the probable cause statements, prepared by Ozark County Sheriff’s Sgt. Seth Miller, Perry had entered the Town & Country Supermarket in Gainesville on Aug. 17, 2023, and cashed two two-party checks at the store from “Construction Property Rehabs.”

One check was dated July 29, 2023, for $150, and another check was dated Aug. 2, 2023, for $200. 

Both checks were unsigned by the payee and were made out Perry, the report says. 

Both checks were returned with an “unable to locate account.” 

Perry was photographed in the store cashing the checks and was identified by store employees as the person who cashed the checks. 

In another probable cause statement, prepared by Ozark County Sheriff’s Deputy Vesa Phelan, Perry attempted to cash a check from Guy Eslinger at Stockemens Bank in Gainesville Oct. 26, 2023. Eslinger died Nov. 28, 2021.

When confronted by the teller at the bank about the check, Perry and an unknown man sped out of the drive thru line, the report says. 

Perry was scheduled to appear before Associate Judge Raymond Gross on Tuesday for a criminal setting in two cases in which she’s charged with three counts of felony forgery and three counts of attempting to pass bad checks. Details of the hearing were not available at presstime.