St. Joseph man accused of theft, forgery after disappearance of $12K

MARYVILLE, Mo. (KCTV) - A St. Joseph man has been charged with the theft of several checks and forgery after more than $12,000 disappeared from his victim’s bank account.

Nodaway County, Missouri, Circuit Court records filed on Monday, April 28, indicate that Cody R. Severe, 23, of St. Joseph, has been charged with the theft of forged checks.

A probable cause statement filed by the Nodaway County Sheriff’s Office said that on Friday, April 25, the victim reported to law enforcement officials that multiple checks had been stolen and cashed into Severe’s bank account in his name.

Records with the Nodaway Valley Bank confirmed that 11 of 12 stolen checks were cashed by Severe; however, the 12th was seized before the money made it into his account. Dates of the cashed checks ranged from Dec. 9 to April 24 and totaled $12,695.

Law enforcement officials noted that Severe was arrested on Sunday, April 27, when he admitted to stealing the checks from the victim’s son and forging their signatures to cash them.

As a result, Severe has been charged with forgery and felony theft. His $5,000 bond was posted on Wednesday and he was released. An initial appearance has been scheduled for 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 6.

No further information has been released.

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