Woman charged with writing over $3,300 in bad/forged checks

Published 7:24 am Thursday, December 20, 2018

Dixie Lou Denhof, also known as Dixie Lou Hand, 39, of Austin was charged on Wednesday in Mower County District Court with felony check forgery-offer or possess-intent to defraud, felony issue dishonored check, felony fifth-degree drug possession, and petty misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Dixie Lou Denhof, 39

According to the court complaint, an officer was called at 6:18 p.m. on Monday to Runnings regarding a woman at the store who had written three checks that were returned due to insufficient funds. The checks were dated Dec. 2 and Dec. 3 and were in the total of $576.99. Staff pointed out Denhof to the officer, but Denhof initially pretended the officer wasn’t speaking to her when he tried to get her attention.

Denhof told the officer she knew the checks were “no good,” according to the complaint, but claimed they bounced because the bank had “messed something up” and she was waiting for the bank to correct the issue. The officer arrested Denhof, who then started yelling and threatening suicide, and found a methamphetamine pipe and a small amount of heroin in her purse. He also found two checks on the account of an adult male that were suspected to be forgeries.

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While on the way to the Mower County Jail, Denhof reportedly told the officer she wrote the bad checks because she was “broke,” the complaint states.

On Tuesday, a detective contacted Sterling Bank about the checks found in Denhof’s purse and was told the routing number was correct, but the account number did not exist, the complaint states. Denhof told the detective she received the checks from “Mary Panke,” whom she said lived on the fifth floor of the Twin Towers, but the detective found no individual with that name living there.

The complaint states Denhof admitted to writing four forged checks:

  • $900 to herself, dated Dec. 2 and deposited into her TCF Bank account;
  • $315 to “Omar Rangel,” dated Dec. 3;
  • $67.39 to “Perkins,” dated Dec. 5; and
  • $1,500 to herself, dated Dec. 5 and deposited into her TCF Bank account.

A review of Denhof’s criminal record shows prior convictions for theft, check forgery, financial transaction card fraud, assault and drug possession.

Denhof will appear in court again on Dec. 31.