BEDFORD — A Williams man is facing multiple criminal charges after a Bedford Police Department investigation revealed he allegedly used a key from his former employment to steal blank checks, later cashing one and attempting to pass another.
Jeremiah Baker, 28, of Williams, has been charged with burglary, theft, and fraud following an investigation spearheaded by Bedford Police Detective Justin Dodd.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in Lawrence County, the investigation began on January 17, 2025, when the owners of Gose Enterprises Inc. contacted police to report a fraudulent withdrawal from their business account.
The victims reported that an unauthorized business check had been endorsed to Baker and cashed at the Hoosier Hills Credit Union on Lincoln Avenue for $399.00 on January 13.
The business owners immediately suspected Baker, a former employee whose termination occurred in 2020. Despite his firing, Baker had allegedly retained a master key to the main building. The business owners noted they had successfully changed the locks on the facility’s back door but had not yet updated the main entrance.
The situation escalated on January 21, 2025, when a owner received a call from Old National Bank. Staff there reported that a woman, later identified as Baker’s girlfriend, was attempting to cash a business check for over $800.00. The owner blocked the transaction, later informing investigators that the check had been pulled from an old checkbook stored inside a filing cabinet at the business.
Shortly after the bank refusal, Baker reportedly called the owner directly, claiming he had tried to cash an old payroll check written by her ex-husband. When questioned about the woman who attempted to cash the check Baker offered she was his girlfriend and offered no clear explanation as to why he was calling his former employer.
Hoosier Hills Credit Union later provided Detective Dodd with the transaction video and a copy of the ID utilized during the initial January 13 transaction, confirming Baker’s identity.
On February 6, 2025, Detective Dodd located and interviewed Baker in Fayetteville. Baker initially maintained that the $399.00 check was an old payroll check he found while moving. He asserted that any check written after his employment ended would be fraud, but insisted the one he cashed was legitimate and historical.
However, upon returning to the station, Dodd reviewed the credit union documentation and confirmed the check was freshly dated January 12, 2025.
During a follow-up recorded phone call, Dodd confronted Baker with the evidence. Baker initially claimed he had altered the year on an old check, but changed his story when Dodd warned that his girlfriend could face conspiracy charges.
According to the affidavit, Baker then admitted that his girlfriend was innocent, acknowledging that he had obtained blank checks and filled them out himself. Baker then asked investigators if he could simply “pay the money back and make all of this go away.”
While Baker allegedly confessed to the check fraud, officials noted he never admitted to physically breaking into the Gose Enterprises facility.
An arrest warrant was requested and Baker was detained on May 13th.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the probable cause affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
