men on forgery charges

By BETH LAKEY

Staff Writer

Nov. 29, 2000 10 PM

Troy Police have slammed the door on two Montgomery men suspected of forgery.

Several incidents involving forged checks arrests of Houston Edward Bass, 45, and Gale Nell Knight, 35, both of Montgomery, on charges of criminal possession of a forged instrument, said Troy Police Chief Anthony Everage .

In the past week, five cases of alleged forgeries in Troy were reported to the police department, Everage said.

The subsequent investigation led to the arrests of Bass and Knight, who were taken into custody on Tuesday, Nov. 28.

Bass was arrested on three counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument and was placed in the Pike County Jail on a $30,000 bond. Knight was charged with two counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument and placed in the county jail on a $20,000 bond.

In checking with other departments, Everage said his department discovered other jurisdictions had experienced similar incidents and additional charges are pending against the two men.

One of the individuals, he said, may be wanted in at least four other police jurisdictions on similar charges.

Because of the possiblility of federal violations, the Secret Service has been notified and has assisted in the police department’s investigation, Everage said.

Everage commended patrol officers and detectives for their investigative efforts in these cases.

"Good detective work led to these arrests, and I appreciate the effort put forth by our local officers to solve this crime," he said. "We also appreciate the assistance of the Secret Service in this case."