Thief River Falls Man Sentenced in Check Theft Case

Thief River Falls (trfnews.i234.me) — Shawn Dale Armstrong, 57, has been sentenced for felony check forgery and mail theft.

Armstrong received a five-year stay of imposition on the check forgery conviction.

The sentence was imposed under Minnesota law.

He must serve 30 days on electronic home monitoring.

Armstrong will also serve five years of supervised probation.

He was ordered to complete a comprehensive assessment within 60 days.

He must follow any recommended treatment and aftercare.

Armstrong cannot possess firearms, ammunition or explosives while on probation.

He must also provide a DNA sample and pay $260 in fees and fines.

Mail Theft Sentence Runs at Same Time

For the mail theft conviction, Armstrong received another 30 days of electronic monitoring.

That sentence will run at the same time as the forgery sentence.

He also received three years of supervised probation on that charge.

Armstrong was ordered to pay an additional $100 fee.

Two other charges were dismissed.

They involved offering a forged check and possessing or selling a stolen check.

The case began after authorities learned about a $450 check issued by Pennington County District Court.

The check had been mailed to a woman at an old address.

Armstrong was still living at that address, according to the complaint.

The woman contacted court administration after learning the check had been sent there.

The original check was later voided.

Investigators determined the check had been deposited at a bank in Warren.

A second man told investigators that Armstrong gave him the check to deposit.

The man said he later gave the money to Armstrong.

Investigators reviewed bank records and surveillance footage from several businesses.

Records showed a $450 deposit and a $500 withdrawal on November 26.

Surveillance later showed Armstrong paying $440 in cash for propane at Cenex.

Armstrong initially denied cashing or providing the check, according to the complaint.

During a later interview, his account changed.

Authorities said Armstrong eventually admitted forging the woman’s name on the check.

He also admitted opening the court mail containing the check.

More court information is available through the Minnesota Judicial Branch.

Information about county services is available from Pennington County.

I’m Adrian Cole reporting for TRF News.