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Odessa man accused of cashing forged checks

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Lea County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested an Odessa man on two counts of forgery.

Wyatt Hambrick, 22, of Odessa, was arrested on May 25 and charged with two counts of forgery, both third-degree felonies. He is accused of cashing two checks totaling approximately $6,320.28 from a business located on the 100 block of east Marland.

According to the criminal complaint, deputies responded to the business in reference to a report of fraud.

Upon arrival, sheriff’s deputies made contact with an employee who stated on Sept. 19, 2019, two checks were cashed and funds were taken from the business’s bank account. The employee also advised that only two individuals are authorized to sign checks associated with this bank account.

On Oct. 10, 2019, a bank manager advised deputies there was video surveillance available of the alleged subject cashing both checks and gave deputies a USB drive which showed a “white male subject” cashing the checks.

“The first check was written for the amount of $3,360.14 and was cashed on the 1000 block of north Turner branch at 3:30 p.m. A second check was cashed at the 1600 block of West Joe Harvey Boulevard at approximately 3:50 p.m. for the amount of $2,960.14,” according to the criminal complaint.

According to the criminal complaint, the checks were allegedly made payable to the suspect Wyatt Hambrick and were endorsed with a signature that appeared to be the same name.

Furthermore, an address located in Odessa was also printed on the face of the checks, according to the complaint.

Sheriff’s deputies explained the employee with the business “took it upon themselves to look on social media for anyone by the name of Wyatt Hambrick and advised they located Hambrick on Facebook who looked like the person in the bank’s video cashing the checks.”

“I was provided with a photo that was printed from Wyatt’s Facebook page and he appears to be the same person,” according to deputies.

An employee from the east Marland business was contacted and confirmed Ham-brick was not employed by the business and “had no idea how this subject could have obtained the checks.”

“I asked about the signature on both checks. The employee said they did not sign either check, and the signature on both checks was not their signature, although it appeared to be a close representation,” according to deputies.

According to the criminal complaint, deputies were shown copies of the checks from the account statement, which reflected the checks, had been duplicated and were originally made out to a local business as well as a bank in Delaware.

As of Wednesday, Hambrick was being held in Lea County Detention Center. His first appearance scheduled before Magistrate Judge Willie Henry on Wednesday.

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