MECHANICSBURG — A 47-year-old Mechanicsburg woman has been charged with writing a bad check after police say she tried to pay rent with a check written from previously closed bank account.
Hope Marie Robinson, of the 700 block of Allenview Drive, was arrested Wednesday and transported to Cumberland County Prison after being arraigned before District Judge Mark Martin.
According to Upper Allen Township police, the victim in the case is the owner of a property Robinson was renting in July of 2017. The victim reported that Robinson made two attempted automated clearing house payments to cover her rent for the month, but neither attempt was successful. The victim said Robinson’s rent was $1,650.
The victim said she contacted Robinson after the two declined payments and requested that she pay her rent by personal check. The victim said she later received a personal check from Robinson, and deposited it at a Fulton Bank in Upper Allen Township.
But the bank later sent notice to the victim that Robinson’s check came from a PNC bank account that was closed, the victim told police. The account was a joint account formerly held by Robinson and her husband, with whom she had separated, according to the criminal complaint.
The victim told police she sent Robinson written notice to either pay the rent within 10 days or leave the premises.
Police checked PNC’s bank records and discovered that the account had been closed in November of 2016, according to the criminal complaint. The check that Robinson wrote to the victim was dated July 13, 2017 — more than six months after the account had been closed, the criminal complaint says.
Police interviewed Robinson’s estranged husband, who told them his former wife should have known that the account had been closed. He told police he believed that all the checks from the account had been destroyed, according to the criminal complaint.
According to police, Robinson vacated the premises after being evicted in October of 2017. The victim said Robinson eventually left compensation for the July 2017 rent, but only after receiving civil judgment in the victim’s favor.
Police say Robinson did return phone calls from police and left voice messages, but never spoke with the investigation officer directly, according to the criminal complaint. The investigating officer said he believed Robinson had no intention of speaking to him about the case.
A warrant for Robinson’s arrest was filed on January 16.
