Lang
1/12/25
A suspect has been arrested on a pair of 14-year-old forgery and theft charges after allegedly writing bad checks at a pair of Johnson County bars.
64-year-old John Watkins, who has no known address, was booked into the Johnson County Jail just after 1:00 Saturday morning. Arrest records indicate that in August of 2011 Watkins passed $330 in checks from a closed account at the Job Site on Maiden Lane in Iowa City and Slim’s in Tiffin. The account had been closed since 2009, and its owner did not authorize the checks to be used.
Watkins was also wanted for failing to appear at a July 29th, 2011 sentencing on a felony charge of Operating While Intoxicated – 3rd or Subsequent Offense and a related count of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
Watkins now faces additional charges of Forgery and 4th Degree Theft. If convicted on both counts, he could spend up to six years behind bars. The OWI conviction carries a maximum five-year prison sentence.