Man accused of stealing more than $2,700 from Kettering man in his 80s pleads guilty

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A man has pleaded guilty to four charges after he was accused of stealing a checkbook belonging to a Kettering man in his 80s and writing himself checks worth several hundreds of dollars.

James J. Savage, 49, was convicted of two counts of forgery and two counts of theft after pleading guilty last week, according to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court records. One of the theft charges is a fourth-degree felony and the remaining charges are fifth-degree felonies.

Six counts of forgery, three counts of theft and one count of unattended use of a vehicle were dismissed.

Savage is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 25. He faces six to 12 months for each fifth-degree felony and six to 18 months for the fourth-degree felony, according to court documents. He also could be ordered to pay $2,500 in restitution.

Savage reportedly stole the man’s checkbook in March 2022 after he was asked to repair the man’s truck while he was in the hospital.

Savage asked to drive the truck to get a wiring diagram for the vehicle, according to a Kettering police report. The same day, Savage called the man’s daughter after he was reportedly pulled over by police on Woodman Drive.

The woman and a friend tried to find Savage and the truck and also called Dayton, Kettering and Riverside police to find out where the truck was taken.

The following day, a representative from Wright Patt Credit Union called the man’s son to report unusual activity on the a bank account. Savage had cashed $2,730 worth of checks at four branches, according to the police report.

The man’s checkbook was left in the truck when Savage was supposed to repair it.

Police identified Savage as the man cashing the checks using surveillance footage from the banks.

James J. Savage. Photo courtesy Miami Valley Jails.

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