Giacomo Bologna

GBOLOGNA@NEWS-LEADER.COM

A now former dispatcher for Springfield-Greene County 911 Emergency Communications used her non-emergency line to call her boyfriend and discuss a check forging scheme in January, police say.

Maggie M. Dillard, 37, called her boyfriend, Willard H. Robertson, 30, talked about "printing a bunch of checks" and how to best cash checks they had printed, court documents show.

The incident is described in a probable cause statement, a document that says Robertson cashed a check at a payday lender on Jan. 26, then attempted to cash an identical check two days later.

While Robertson waited, the manager of the lender called the business listed on the check — a steel works company — and was told that the company did not issue the check, nor did they know Robertson, the statement said.

Police then obtained the recorded phone call between Robertson and Dillard, the former 911 dispatcher, and searched a motel room where the couple had been staying, according to the statement.

An officer allegedly found a box filled with copies of checks for a business that doesn't exist, check template printing paper and a receipt which shows the check template package had been purchased a few days before.

Robertson and Dillard are also co-defendants in several alleged thefts at Springfield and Republic stores. Police say the theft occurred after the forgery scheme ended.

Those incidents are described in several probable cause statements, one of which says they loaded up two shopping carts at a Walmart with more than $1,700 worth of items and walked out of the front door with the items before police arrested them.

Police say Robertson also took a KitchenAid Spiralizer, two chainsaws, leaf blowers and other items in separate incidents.

According to a prosecutor's bond recommendation, Robertson stole approximately $4,668 of merchandise from Springfield and Republic stores.

The recommendation said Robertson has repeatedly posted bond, then not showed up for court.

After posting having posted bonds of $15,000, $50,000 and $100,000, online court records show Robertson is now being held on a $500,000 bond.