BLANCHESTER — A Wilmington fencing contractor who police say wrote bad checks in Blanchester — and has committed similar acts in Warren and Butler counties — was arrested Friday.

On Friday, Nov. 10, 2017 the owner of BDK Feed, a retail store located at 660 W. Main St., reported receiving two checks totaling a little over $4,000, which were returned for insufficient funds, according to Blanchester Police Chief Scott Reinbolt. The checks were written on the account of Phillip Sholler Jr., doing business as Sholler Fencing of Wilmington, he said.

“In Ohio, it is not a crime to simply write a bad check. It is a crime to write a bad check with the purpose to commit fraud,” said Reinbolt. “As is our standard practice, we asked that BDK mail Sholler written notification of the dishonored checks and to provide him 10 days in which to make them good.

“BDK did this, and Sholler did not make the checks good.”

The case was presented to Clinton County Prosecuting Attorney Richard Moyer, who approved presentation of the case to a recent session of the Clinton County grand jury, which returned an indictment charging Sholler with the felony crime of passing bad checks, Reinbolt said.

Earlier this week the Blanchester Police Department received a tip from a citizen stating that Sholler was employed at Ashley Fencing in Morrow in Warren County. Acting on this tip, early Friday morning a Blanchester police officer and a Warren County Sheriff’s deputy went to Ashley Fencing, where Sholler was arrested, Reinbolt said.

“Sholler was also wanted by the Warren County Sheriff’s Office and Butler County Sheriff’s Office on similar charges, and therefore the Warren County deputy took him to their jail,” said Reinbolt. “He will be brought back to Clinton County once he answers the Warren and Butler counties charges.