Man accused of stealing from acquaintance

VINA – A local man is now in custody after stealing thousands of dollars from a man who was giving him a place to stay.

Derek Lynn Scott, 27, 512 Bullard Drive in Red Bay, was arrested on Monday on 27 counts of second-degree forgery, Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver said.

According to authorities, Scott is accused of stealing checks from a 77-year-old Vina man who was trying to help him out by giving him a place to live until Scott was able to improve his financial situation.

Officials said the elderly man had two separate checking accounts and noticed in mid-December he had several checks missing from his checkbooks.

After the discovery, the elderly victim asked Scott to leave and notified authorities of the missing checks, which they later learned totaled $5,975.

Investigators said Scott had forged checks every three or four days during a three-month time period for amounts ranging from $200 to $300 at a time.

“This gentleman was just trying to be a good friend to a struggling young man,” Oliver said. “It’s just sad when someone takes advantage of a person who is trying to help them through a tough situation.”

Scott remains in custody at the Franklin County Jail on bail of $6,000.

Second-degree forgery is a Class C felony punishable by one to 10 years in prison if convicted.