Man charged with forgery after check taken from pastors office

TATUM – Our news partners at KETK report that after an unsigned check was taken from a local pastor’s desk, an employee that was working on the church is behind bars with a felony forgery charge, the Tatum Police Department said. According to the police department, a Tatum church pastor, who has not been named, stopped by the station and filed a report on Nov. 1.The police department said the church was having carpentry work done when an employee “began prowling” through the pastors office when he was alone. The man accused, identified as Oliver Martinez-Cruz, reportedly discovered an unsigned check in an unlocked desk drawer. Tatum PD said Martinez-Cruz would go on to take the check, make it out to himself, sign and endorse it.

Martinez-Cruz then took the forged check to his bank that was not in Tatum and deposited it, officials said. It wasn’t until the bank notified the pastor that the police department got involved and determined that forgery has occurred.

On Monday morning, an officer spoke with Martinez-Cruz and placed him under arrest, Tatum PD said. Martinez-Cruz was taken to the Rusk County Jail for forgery.