craigdailypress.com

With a jury paneled and trial underway, attorneys arguing a forgery case Tuesday reached a settlement by agreeing to a deal in exchange for a guilty plea.

Olathe man Aaron Gallegos, who was charged with forgery, pleaded guilty to second-degree forgery in 14th Judicial District Court. Judge Michael O'Hara sentenced Gallegos, who prosecutors said has no previous adult convictions, to one year of probation.

The charge against Gallegos stemmed from an incident in Dec. 2005 in which two counterfeit $100 bills were passed at a local retail store. Gallegos, who was with Craig man Raymond Siqueiros, said he did not know the bills exchanged at the store were fake.

Deputy District Attorney Russell Wasley said a store employee was able to get a name and photo of one of the suspects, which helped police make an arrest in the case. The employee's work was invaluable to earning a conviction, he said.

"Without the help of those good citizens, this case never would have been solved," Wasley said.

Wasley said he had offered a deal to resolve the case before trial began. Shortly after trial began Tuesday, Gallegos and his appointed attorney, Erick Nordstrom, agreed to the deal.

In other court news:

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for a woman who stands accused of forgery and possession of a controlled substance.

Teri Kay Willey of Craig is charged in the 14th Judicial District with forgery of a token, and possession of a forged instrument, charges stemming from her alleged use of fake bus tokens.

In a separate case, she is charged with possession of a sch-edule 2 controlled substance.

Her preliminary hearing in both cases is scheduled for 3 p.m. Tuesday.

No charges have yet been filed against a former bookkeeper at Moffat County High School, who authorities suspect embezzled about $50,000 from the school's activities account.

At the beginning of October, prosecutors said they would file charges against Susan Lord, a former high school employee, by the end of the month.

On Wednesday, Wasley said charges against Lord are still pending and that he expected those charges would be filed soon.

Joshua Roberts can be reached at 824-7031, ext. 210, or jroberts@craigdailypress.com.