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54 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, April 5, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend March 26, 2004 Check scammer pleads guilty After spending nearly six months incarcerated in Jackson County, a man who bilked Northwest businesses out of hundreds of thousands of dollars will serve no more jail time. Steven Douglas Roche, 18, pleaded guilty in Jackson County Circuit Court Thursday to four counts of first-degree theft. In exchange for his plea, a more serious charge of racketeering was dismissed. Roche was ordered to serve five years on probation and repay retail stores in Jackson, Clackamas, Marion, Lane, Lincoln and Linn counties. He had been in jail since Sept. 25 in lieu of $250,000 bail. Roche worked with his father, 53-year-old Douglas Clancy Roche, on a check fraud scheme that extended across seven western states, investigators say. The Roches operated by opening bank accounts, receiving blank checks by overnight delivery and, within several days, exhausting the supply of checks for which there were insufficient funds, said Medford police Detective Sue Campbell. The pair then sought cash refunds on many items they purchased with bad checks all over the Northwest, she added. The Roches were wanted by at least a dozen police agencies across the West, Campbell said, but Medford officers in September caught up with the duo at a Pier 1 Imports store on Crater Lake Highway. Steven Roche was trying to return some curtains purchased at another Pier 1 store when the clerk recognized him from a flier police had circulated. Douglas Roche fled from Medford officers and was arrested three months later, allegedly pulling the same check scam at a mall in Spokane, Wash., police said. He remained in custody there but is still wanted on a warrant carrying bail of $1 million in Jackson County. Formerly listing a Medford address on Agate Street, the elder Roche is also wanted locally on a 2001 theft charge. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times