Two Yuba County men were arrested Monday for cashing forged checks at a Linda grocery store, Yuba County Sheriff Steve Durfor said today.

 

Employees of American Check Cashing, 6000 Lindhurst Avenue, called the Sheriff’s Department at 5 PM to report two subjects attempting to cash suspicious checks. Deputies contacted Richard William Akers, 18, of Loma Rica at the check cashing counter. As Akers was being detained, the shift sergeant was flagged down in the store’s parking lot by a customer who said they saw a young man (later identified as Eric Allen Luster III) running from the store and across Lindhurst Avenue. The customer provided a description, and deputies found the 22-year-old Luster a few minutes later behind the Long Branch Saloon, 5867 Lindhurst Avenue. 

 

Luster was detained and brought to the office along with Akers. After speaking with the two, deputies learned that they had stolen checks from Luster’s father and had an acquaintance forge his signature. They cashed one check for $200 earlier in the day and had already spent most of the money. They had been attempting to cash a second check for $400 when employees called the Sheriff’s Department.

 

Akers was charged with burglary, forgery, conspiracy, and passing forged checks. Luster was charged with burglary, conspiracy, petty theft with a prior conviction, committing a felony while out on bail or OR, and possession of marijuana. Both were booked into the Yuba County Jail.