Check Recovery Program Overview

As Prosecuting Attorney, I am pleased to announce a new service designed specifically to help retail establishments recover losses from bad check writers. The Bad Check Recovery/Diversion Program was created to ease the burden of certain bad check investigations on the local police departments, help county merchants gain reimbursement for their losses, and to keep some offenders free of a criminal conviction.

Bad Check Recovery Program

Overview
Bad Check Complaint Form
5 Day Notice
FAQs

Note: The Bad Check Complaint for and the 5 Day Notice forms require Adobe Reader. To use the forms, you must have Adobe Reader on your computer. Adobe Reader is a free program that is available for download at www.Adobe.com

The Program’s goal is to uphold our statutory mandate of enforcing the law, protect the rights of business owners, hold individuals accountable for their actions, and, while doing so, reduce court docket congestion.

The Program works by allowing retail establishments to file their complaint directly to the Prosecutor’s Office. Our investigator first determines if the offender qualifies for the Program. Those offenders that do not are processed for prosecution. Those that do qualify are contacted and given the opportunity to participate in the Program. Successful participation includes restitution to the victim for the bad check. The offender completes the program without acquiring a criminal record.

The procedure to file a complaint will remain much the same before. Merchants are asked to send a 5 Day Notice to the check writer. If there is not a satisfactory response/resolution, the merchant is then requested to complete a Bad Check Complaint Form. These forms are available on the right. To use the forms, you must have Adobe Reader on your computer. Adobe Reader is a free program that is available for download at www.Adobe.com. Once you’ve downloaded and installed Adobe Reader, use your mouse and right-click on the title of the form. Select “Save Target As” from the pop-up menu, then save the form on your own computer. Now open the document as you would any other on your computer. You can fill out the document right on your screen. Once you’ve completed the form, just print and sign.

Copies of these forms along with a copy of the check should then be forwarded to the Program instead of the local police department. This is the most notable change of procedure for merchants. The investigator will work closely with the prosecutor to determine which cases are eligible for the Program. Check writers with prior convictions may find themselves ineligible. Please mail or drop off the copies of the documents to:

Calhoun County Prosecutor's Office
Bad Check Recovery/Diversion Program
c/o Investigator Robert Drewry
161 E. Michigan Ave.
Battle Creek, MI 49014

Our investigator will contact the check writer and make arrangements for restitution. It is the goal of the Program to have restitution made within 60 days of receiving the complaint from the merchant. The writer will avoid criminal charges through cooperating with the Program.

If your business or organization would like more information about the program, you can contact Investigator Rob Drewry at 269-969-6989, or by e-mail at rdrewry@calhouncountymi.gov.

On behalf of the Attorneys and Staff of the Calhoun County Prosecutor’s Office we look forward to providing this new service to our community.