Woman receives additional charges
WAYNESBURG – A Clarksville woman facing charges of allegedly writing bad checks in four counties was charged Friday with an additional 24 counts resulting from two dozen private criminal complaints filed by businesses in Waynesburg Borough, Jefferson Township and Franklin Township.
Greene County detectives charged Ashley Nicole Simpkins, 27, of 139 4th St., with two dozen counts of theft by deception after she allegedly bilked several Greene County businesses out of $7,490.46, including bank fees. Simpkins was already facing three charges of writing bad checks in Greene County.
According to detectives, Simpkins wrote checks between April and September on bank accounts that were either closed or contained insufficient funds.
Joe Riggs Sporting Goods in Waynesburg Borough was out the most, $3,242.91, after Simpkins allegedly purchased two Matthews compound bows from the store, which were later recovered.
In another incident, True Value Dry Tavern Service reported a loss of $1,256.09 from checks allegedly written by Simpkins for the purchase of two handguns. According to the criminal complaint, Simpkins bought the handguns and resold them at two gun shops in Fayette County.
Other Greene County merchants allegedly victimized by Simpkins were Dry Tavern Giant Eagle, $1,266.76; Waynesburg Giant Eagle, $753.94; The Fashion Shop, $485.20; and Rock Starz & Divas, $485.56.
Simpkins wrote the checks from four different checking accounts at three banks, Frick Tri-County Credit Union, Northwest Savings and Woodforest National Bank.
Detectives said Simpkins provided a written statement in which she confessed to writing the checks in the 24 Greene County cases.
Simpkins is currently being held in Fayette County jail on a bench warrant from Allegheny County for theft by unlawful taking and bad checks written in Coraopolis.
Simpkins arrest in Fayette County came after she was charged with three counts of writing bad checks. Simpkins is scheduled to appear today at a preliminary hearing in Washington County before Magisterial District Judge David W. Mark for allegedly writing a bad check Aug. 2 to Reeves Sports Shop in Canton Township.
A preliminary arraignment on the new Greene County charges has not been scheduled.