Check bounces at Hayward’s, customer bound over to circuit ct.

After a preliminary exam before 34th District Court Judge Brian A. Oakley on Nov. 13, Diamond Kapri Guinn, 31, of Van Buren Township was bound over to Third Circuit Court for a Nov. 27 arraignment on the information.
He is charged with uttering and publishing on April 4, 2022 in the city of Belleville after cashing a company check made out to him that bounced. The felony charge is punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
First witness at the preliminary exam was Jennifer Kouza, who runs Hayward’s liquor store at 573 Main St., which she described as her late husband’s business.
She said a person wanted a $1,960 check cashed on April 4, 2022 and asked her to hold it for seven days. She held it for six, deposited it, and it bounced. She testified the bank said it was a fraudulent check.
She identified the defendant in the courtroom as the one who cashed the check.
Kouza said she called the customer after the check bounced and, “He yelled and screamed at me. He wouldn’t let me talk… No words, yelling and screaming.”
The next witness was retired Belleville Police Officer Bart Devos, who said he has served in law enforcement for 34 years, the last four with the Belleville Department. He had retired from Van Buren Township Police Department before joining the Belleville department.
Devos said the check was for a non-existant account.
Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Mohamad Mohamad introduced the check as evidence and the defense attorney questioned the check because it had notations from the bank on it. Judge Oakley accepted the check as evidence, but the notations from the bank were not in evidence.
Devos testified after being dispatched to investigate a bad check, he called the defendant. Devos said Guinn said he was out of town for a funeral and he was going to make good on the check when he got back, but he didn’t.
Devos testified Guinn told him he did some work for the company and this was the payment. He said he didn’t work for the company and he wouldn’t tell Devos what work he did to get the check.
Devos said he told Guinn, “You got paid for work you didn’t do from a company you didn’t work for,” and got no reply.
Devos testified he investigated and the business is non-existant in California. He said the bank followed up on the check and found the address is a vacant lot in California.
He said the bank said it would send someone to court to tell their process of finding a check fraudulent. He said police went to Comerica Bank in Belleville and it told them the process.
Devos said when he called, Guinn confirmed his name and said he cashed the check.
The Neighborhood Defender Service defense attorney pointed out her client gave his identification when cashing the check, along with his phone number. She said the company who paid her client with the check is responsible, not her client.
Prosecutor Mohamad said it was a question of fact for the higher court to determine and asked that Guinn be bound over.
Judge Oakley complimented the defense attorney on her handling of the case, but nonetheless bound Guinn over to Third Circuit Court.
Belleville Police Sgt. Todd Schrecengost was the officer in charge of the case.