Solicitor's worthless check program paying off in a big way
By TIM GULLA Ledger Staff Writer tim@gaffneyledger.com

TREY GOWDY

Check bouncers in Spartanburg and Cherokee counties, possibly motivated by the threat of prosecution by the 7th Circuit Solicitor's Office, have paid almost $2.6 million to settle up thanks to a Worthless Check Program started three years ago, according to Solicitor Trey Gowdy's office.

Through the program, the solicitor's office helps track down and recover money for businesses and consumers who have been handed worthless checks. Started in July 2004, the program just topped $2 million in collections for Spartanburg County businesses, consumers and government, and is approaching $600,000 in Cherokee County.

Prior to the start of the program, a merchant's or consumer's options were to write their own letters to demand payment, and to prosecute their own case before local magistrates.

"Writing a fraudulent check is a crime and if you're the victim of a crime you shouldn't have to collect it yourself," Gowdy said. "You should be able to turn it over to a prosecutor."

Since it was started in Cherokee County three years ago, according to the latest figures, the program collected $340,000 in restitution and an additional $233,000 for the Cherokee County general operating budget. More than 300 local merchants and individuals have used the program's free services.

"I remain hopeful it is a valuable tool for Cherokee County merchants," Gowdy said. "I am grateful to Cherokee County Council for partnering with me. It is a service in the truest sense of the word and I want it to work for merchants and make life easier for them."

When a worthless check is submitted to the program, the person who wrote it is required to pay the amount, plus a $30 bank service fee, $41 in court costs, and additional fees ranging from $50 to $150 depending on the amount of the check, according to the solicitor's office, which doesn't keep any of the money.

The fees paid to Cherokee County's budget cover the salaries of two workers, one full-time and one part-time, in the Cherokee County Worthless Check Program office in the Cherokee County Law Enforcement Center.