Former Gotcha Burger Worker Arrested in Eugene After Police Say He Cashed Stolen Company Checks
EUGENE, Ore. — A former Gotcha Burger employee, 32-year-old Forrest Jedidiah Barrios of Veneta, was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the theft of business checks.
The Eugene Police Department (EPD) alleged that Barrios cashed payroll checks to himself and was linked to missing checks from the business.
Tidings Insight
In Oregon, forgery focuses on the fake or altered check itself. Identity theft focuses on using another person’s identifying information or authority to cash it or convert it for personal use.
When the owner confronted him, Barrios denied any involvement and left the restaurant.
Officers arrested Barrios near West 6th Avenue and Adams Street after an EPD detective from the Property and Financial Crimes Unit found enough evidence to charge Barrios on 11 counts, including identity theft, forgery, and first-degree theft. He was taken to the Lane County Jail.
Tidings Insight
First degree theft usually means the alleged loss reached Oregon’s felony threshold. State law allows theft from a single or aggregate transaction to be charged at that level once the value hits $1,000.