03/25/15 Dallas County Circuit Court

Three criminal cases were in Circuit Court in Dallas County the week of March 16. On March 18, Deputy Prosecutor Tom Wynne filed charges of theft of property and fraudulent use of a credit card against 25 year old Celeste Florel Darrough of Fordyce. 

On February 5, Jay Lallu reported to police that he had left his credit card at the Days Inn and someone had used it to make a purchase online. According to a surveillance camera inside the motel, a motel employee, Celeste Darrough was seen putting the card into her pocket and attempting to use it in an ATM inside the motel but was unsuccessful because she didn't have the pin number. Darrough was successful in purchasing some wigs online using the credit card. Darrough was arrested on February 7, and the card was found inside a bag in her possession.

Also on the 18, 30 year old Michelle Dian Wallace of Kingsland was charged with two counts of forgery that occurred in July and August of 2013.  Wallace wrote a check at Exxon and another at Mad Butcher on an account belonging to Carol Pennington.

30 year old Steve Richmond of Fordyce was charged by Prosecutor Wynne with possession of a firearm by a felon. The charges came as the result of a traffic stop by police in February. Police searched the vehicle Richmond was driving and found a loaded weapon in the glove box. Richmond was sentenced in 2002 to 12 years in prison on an aggravated robbery and kidnapping charge. Wynne is also seeking to try Richmond under the habitual criminal statute that allows for more jail time if convicted.