Rigby man sentenced to probation, community service for forgery
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POCATELLO — A man who cashed fraudulent checks at a Pocatello bank has been sentenced to probation.
Michael Elmo Kirschbaum, 45, has been sentenced to four years of probation by District Judge Rick Carnaroli after pleading guilty to a felony forgery charge.
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Kirschbaum and his wife, 38-year-old Charolette Marie Kirschbaum, were arrested in July after the manager at a Pocatello bank triggered an alarm trapping Charolette inside. The alarm was triggered when Charolette attempted to cash a forged check in the amount of $845.25.
The bank manager told responding officers that Michael had passed a forged check from the same Soda Springs business in the amount of $975.45 one week earlier.
Michael reached a plea agreement with the Bannock County Prosecutor’s Office and pleaded guilty to the felony charge in exchange for the prosecutor recommending a suspended prison sentence.
Carnaroli suspended a prison sentence of two to five years, with credit for 63 days time served. Michael was also ordered to pay $1,895.50 in fees and fines. Additionally, he must complete a drug-treatment program at a court-approved facility and 100 hours of community service before he is released from his probation.
Charolette reached a similar agreement with the prosecutor’s office and changed her plea to guilty in January.
She is scheduled for a sentencing hearing before District Judge Robert Naftz on June 12.