An Austin man pleaded not guilty Thursday in Mower County Court to stealing and forging dozens of checks.

Jeremy Reid Johnson, 44, pleaded not guilty to felony check forgery.

After going through her checking account, an Austin woman discovered she was missing more than $5,000.

Police arrested Johnson in late January, and prosecutors charged him with felony check forgery. According to the Mower County court complaint, Johnson admitted to a detective that he forged the checks during the past months. In all, the victim discovered 47 checks for a total of $5,035 may have been forged by Johnson. Because more of her checks are out of sequence, a detective warned the victim to watch for more checks to clear the bank.

Johnson’s next court appearance is set for May 24.