LaRon Reginald Gadlen booking photo. COURTESY OF TAMA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

TRAER – A Coralville man was arrested last week after illegally cashing a fraudulent Traer Municipal Utility check at Farmers Savings Bank & Trust.

LaRon Reginald Gadlen, 52, of Coralville made an initial appearance in custody on Feb. 8 in Tama County District Court on multiple charges including two counts of forgery and one count of second degree theft – all Class D felonies.

Charges stem from an incident that took place on June 12, 2023, at Farmers Savings Bank & Trust’s Traer location.

According to the criminal complaint, Gadlen allegedly cashed a fraudulent check from Traer Municipal Utility (TMU) made out to himself in the amount of $2,466.10. The check contained signatures from both TMU board president Nick Podhajsky and Traer City Clerk Haley Blaine.

Gadlen is accused of cashing the fraudulent check that day and leaving the bank with cash in hand.

“What [Gadlen] was able to do – and what these criminals are doing – is get ahold of these utility or personal checks and use some sort of computer software to doctor a blank check essentially,” Tama County Deputy Casey Schmidt said. “How he obtained [a TMU check] is still a mystery. I don’t think he has any ties to Traer, Tama County in general.”

The fraudulent check was eventually discovered, Schmidt said, thanks to the perceptive eye of Blaine and deputy city clerk Julie Mask.

“Julie and I found that our accounting didn’t match the bank,” Blaine explained to the Telegraph. “[We] realized that check was not written by us.”

Gadlen was identified in part using the bank’s security camera footage.

“He walked in, cashed the check, and walked out,” Schmidt said.

A warrant was issued for Gadlen’s arrest and he was subsequently picked up on Feb. 7 in Johnson County.

Schmidt said it’s getting harder and harder to spot counterfeit checks due to advancements in printing technology.

“Unfortunately there are fraudulent checks out there that look eerily identical to a normal check and these criminals are buying check paper and watermark paper and the appropriate printing supplies to make it look almost identical. So I think it would be important for the banks or anybody accepting a check that they have suspicions on … to document cashing the check.”

Gadlen could face up to five years in prison and a fine of at least $750 but no more than $7,500 for each count in the case.

A preliminary hearing has been set for Feb. 27 at 9 a.m.

During the initial hearing on Feb. 8, Gadlen was deemed ineligible for court-appointed counsel and was released on his own recognizance.