Hot Check Collection

The Ochiltree County Attorney's Office has a Hot Check Collection Program to track down bad check writers, return the money to the victims, and deter future offenses through a diversion program and criminal prosecution.

Aside from benefiting merchants and consumers, this program is designed to remove some of the load from overburdened local law enforcement agencies.

This dynamic program creates a partnership between the County Attorney's office and the business community; it provides new avenues to obtain restitution, to protect the public, and to ensure that offenders are punished.

How to Apply

The victim must fill out a Hot Check Report for each individual check and check writer.
The victim must forward the original hot check along with a completed Hot Check Report form to the County Attorney's Office after the bank has returned it to the victim.

Eligibility

The check must have been passed within Ochiltree county.
The check must bear a "Non-sufficient Funds" or "Account Closed" stamp from the bank before referring the check to the County Attorney's Office.

Restitution

When a hot check writer pays restitution to the County Attorney's Office, the funds will be recorded by computer and deposited into a trust account. Restitution will be sent to the victim as soon as processing is completed, usually within five days.
Once the victim has submitted a hot check to the program, restitution cannot be accepted from anyone other than the County Attorney's Office.

Ineligible Bad Checks

The County Attorney's Office will be unable to prosecute or assist in the collection of the following checks:

Checks over two years old.
Stop-payment checks.
Postdated checks.
Checks held for an agreed time.
Checks for which partial restitution has been received.
The following checks should be brought to the Ochiltree County Sheriff's Office for investigation and possible prosecution: