FAIRMONT — A Fairmont man is facing a felony charge in Martin County.

Jeremiah Darwin Vanriper, 36, has been charged with check forgery, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

According to the complaint:

On Sept. 23, a Fairmont police officer was dispatched to Las Portracanas Mexican Store in Fairmont regarding a possible check forgery. Upon arriving, the officer met with a woman who explained that a man, identified as Vanriper, had entered the store at about 7 p.m. that day to cash a personal check. The woman said Vanriper offered a personal check drawn on the account of two other individuals in the amount of $359.27.

The check in question was pre-written with the store as the payee and was signed with the name of one of the account holders. The woman said she accepted the check, gave Vanriper the cash and he exited the store.

The officer contacted the reported signer of the check, a woman who said she and her husband had moved from the area in April 2018. She said she no longer had a checking account at the bank at which the subject check had been drawn. She said she had never given a check to Vanriper, and neither she nor her husband knew Vanriper.

The officer checked police department records regarding Vanriper and found he had been arrested on Sept. 6 on an outstanding warrant for check forgery. The officer was unable to locate a current address for Vanriper.

On Sept. 24, another officer was advised of the case and asked to do a follow-up. The officer located Vanriper at his place of employment in Fairmont.

The officer asked Vanriper if he had cashed a check at the Mexican store the previous night. Vanriper replied he had, saying he had done some work for the woman whose signature was on the check. The officer told Vanriper to stop lying and Vanriper said he had found the check at the Freedom gas station a week prior, but he was not the one who signed the check.

Vanriper gave the name of another person whom he said filled out the check. The officer asked if he could speak to the individual, and Vanriper said the person did not have a phone number or address, but lived in Albert Lea.

Vanriper said he owed the person who filled out the check money and that is why he did it. Vanriper said he had given the money to the person who filled out the check.

The officer asked Vanriper if he had any more checks in his possession. He said he did not.

Vanriper admitted he had offered the check knowing it was forged.

The officer checked the name of the person Vanriper said had filled out the check. The officer was unable to locate any such person in local records or on the Minnesota Department of Vehicle Services website.