WILLMAR -- Jason Christopher Moe, 25, formerly of Atwater, made his first appearance Tuesday on eight felony theft and dishonored check charges for writing almost $78,000 in bad checks in the spring of 2008.
Moe is also charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct for allegedly committing a sex act with a 6-year-old girl in January 2008.
Unconditional bail was set at $100,000. Moe's next appearance in Kandiyohi County District Court is Nov. 23. Court documents list his address as the Gage County, Neb., Detention Center.
According to the criminal sexual conduct complaint, Kandiyohi County officials kept in contact with a woman as part of the ongoing investigation on the theft charges and the resulting arrest warrant issued for Moe. The woman reported to a detective that the 6-year-old girl had told her that Moe had sexually touched her. The girl was interviewed by the detective and a social worker and said that Moe had done the act in a barn and told the girl not to tell because he'd kill her.
According to the theft and dishonored check complaint, Moe and his fiancée, Jeannie Marie Holt, wrote bad checks for purchases totaling $77,979.66 in Kandiyohi and Stevens counties. The purchases included a snowmobile, snowmobile clothing, an all-terrain vehicle, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a mattress and box spring, ATV accessories and repairs, a trailer, the adoption of a dog from the Humane Society, a limousine trip and two vehicles. The purchases were made between February and April 2008.
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Holt was sentenced in January to five years of probation, 60 days in the county jail and 20 hours of community service on three felony charges for her role. She was also ordered to pay $9,127 in restitution, and to obtain and maintain employment or provide proof of her efforts to get a job to her probation officers. As part of a plea agreement, five additional felony charges were dismissed. Holt received a stay of imposition on her sentence, which means if she complies with the court's conditions, the convictions will be reduced to misdemeanors after five years.
According to the complaint, the checks were written for $3,800 for a used Arctic Cat snowmobile from a private citizen, $690 in snowmobile clothing and accessories from Spicer Sports and Marine, $8,101.31 for a Polaris ATV and $120.73 in repairs from Motor Sports of Willmar.
The checks also included $18,760.45 for a Harley-Davidson motorcycle from Apol's in Raymond and $595 for a queen-size bed and ATV accessories from Surplus Warehouse.
A check was also written for $160 to the Humane Society of Kandiyohi County for the adoption of a dog. Two insufficient funds checks were written for $1,300 to Fantasy Limo of New London in March and $44,480.56 in bad checks written in April to Value Ford in Morris for two vehicles: a 2003 Ford Explorer and a 2000 Ford F-350.
Both the Willmar Police Department and the Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Office interviewed owners or salesmen from the businesses. Records showed they had sent certified mail requests for payment, but had received no response. The business people told investigators Moe was with Holt during the purchases and had filled out the paperwork. However, Holt wrote the checks. They also told investigators the couple had made reference to having been left a large sum of money by a grandparent.
