Countywide : Police Ask for Help to Stem Bogus Check Flow

Frustrated by unsuccessful attempts to find a man accused of cashing 139 bad checks throughout Orange County, Westminster police released the suspect’s name and photo Monday and asked the community for help.

Westminster police obtained an arrest warrant for Richard Albin Turney, 49, who police said cashed checks on his personal account, which has been closed since October. Turney also is accused of cashing payroll checks from Lauterbach-Young Corp., a Los Angeles business that closed about nine years ago, Westminster Detective Dave Stronach said.

Stronach said that he began working on the case in May. Shortly afterward, Stronach learned that Turney was also being sought by the Santa Ana Police Department. Last week, Santa Ana police were given seven bad checks that investigators attribute to Turney, Stronach said.

The Santa Ana Police Department is one of 11 police agencies in the county working to halt the spread of the checks, which so far amount to about $17,000, Stronach said.

The payroll checks from the defunct company are usually cashed at liquor stores, while the personal checks have been cashed at grocery stores and, more recently, hardware stores, Stronach said.

Westminster police are asking anyone with information about Turney, who they said drives a yellow Ford Courier pickup, to contact them at (714) 898-3311, Ext. 337.