Pocatello man charged after allegedly stealing, cashing checks from former employer
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POCATELLO — A man who is accused of stealing checks from a former employer and cashing them has been charged with four felonies.
Casey Gene Blessinger, 30, faces a burglary charge as well as two counts of grand theft and two counts of forgery, court records show.
Pocatello police received a call just after 3:45 p.m. on July 29 reporting a burglary, according to an affidavit of probable cause. The victim, and owner of a business located on the 700 block of Samuel Street, told police that someone had broken into the business and stolen two checks from a lockbox in the company’s office. They believed Blessinger to be the suspect.
When officers arrived and spoke with the victim, they were told that the checks were believed to have been taken in two separate incidents between July 23 and July 26. The stolen checks had been cashed, for $1,500 each, on July 27, the affidavit says.
Officers also learned Blessinger had allegedly stolen checks from the company previously.
The victim told officers that Blessinger had taken and cashed six checks for a total of $6,000 in the past. They said that they and Blessinger had settled the matter civilly, with Blessinger signing the deed of his truck over to the victim as recompense. He has not worked with the company since 2019.
Officers learned that both checks involved in this incident were deposited at ATMs in Pocatello.
After obtaining a search warrant, officers requested and received video footage from the banks taken during the ATM deposits. According to the affidavit, both transactions were made by a man matching Blessinger’s description.
Officers arrested Blessinger on Aug. 17. During the arrest, Blessinger allegedly admitted to stealing the checks and depositing both. He was taken to Bannock County Jail, where he was booked and held for one day before posting a $20,000 bond.
Though Blessinger has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
If he is found guilty, Blessinger could face up to 66 years in prison and $160,000 in fines.
He is scheduled to appear in court before Magistrate Judge Aaron Thompson for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 31.