Sentenced for writing 37 bad checks

A 55-year-old Marion man was given a two-year deferred sentence after he was charged with writing 37 bad checks in the Columbia Falls and Hungry Horse area.

Flathead County District Court Judge Ted Lympus sentenced Lonny Sanford on June 5. He was also ordered to pay $10,414 in restitution.

According to court records, Sanford wrote $5,505 in bad checks between Sept. 23, 2011 to Oct. 27, 2012 using a Freedom Bank account. Most of the checks went to Mike’s Conoco and Super 1 Foods in Columbia Falls, but two checks totaling $1,920 were used at the Crooked Tree Motel and RV Park in Hungry Horse.

Sanford was charged with issuing a bad check, a felony, and faced up to 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. His public defender, Jessica Polan, negotiated a plea agreement in which the state and the defense agreed to a two-year deferred sentence.