New York State Police have arrested Trisha L. Clarke, 48, of Gorham and David A. Byington, 55, of Marion on charges related to the theft and forgery of checks belonging to a Clyde man who had hired Clarke to assist him while recovering from surgery.
Clarke was arrested on November 4 for criminal possession of stolen property and possession of a forged instrument, both misdemeanor and felony charges respectively. Byington faced similar charges when arrested on November 8.
The investigation revealed that Clarke, hired to help the recovering individual, along with Byington and several other co-defendants, allegedly stole and forged the man’s checks, cashing them at various area banks.
Clarke alone cashed forged checks amounting to $505, including one at the Reliant Bank in Canandaigua, Ontario County. She is also wanted on a warrant in Webster for cashing another check at a Reliant Bank there. Byington is accused of cashing five stolen checks at Reliant locations in Macedon, Newark, and Sodus, totaling $2,691.
The total amount stolen from the victim’s checking account is estimated to be between $6,000 and $7,000. The investigation, which involved the Village of Clyde Police Department alongside State Police, is ongoing, with additional arrests expected.
Both Clarke and Byington have been released on appearance tickets for their respective charges in three different jurisdictions, as the legal process begins to address this complex case of alleged exploitation and fraud.
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