A second Illinois man, accused of forging thousands of dollars in checks from a north Iowa trucking company, has pleaded not guilty to the accusations.
In early March, the Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office arrested 46-year-old Roderick Trice of Chicago on charges of first-degree theft, forgery, and conspiracy to commit a non-forcible felony.
Trice and 47-year-old Robert Higgins of Bellwood, IL, are accused of cashing blank business checks that had been stolen from Ivan Johnson Trucking in Osage. According to criminal complaints filed in June 2023, forged checks totaling almost $25,000 were deposited into an account belonging to Higgins, while a forged check of nearly $30,000 was deposited into an account belonging to Trice. The crimes allegedly occurred in May 2022.
Higgins, who was arrested back in November, has since pleaded guilty to forgery and conspiracy to commit a non-forcible felony. He’s scheduled for sentencing April 23rd in Mitchell County District Court.
Last week, Trice pleaded not guilty and his trial has been scheduled for June 5th. He’s currently being held in the Mitchell County Jail on $10,000 cash-only bond, but he will get a hearing for possible bond reduction on April 23rd..
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