Algonquin woman sentenced for writing bad checks

An Algonquin woman has been sentenced to prison for writing bad checks on an account in which she didn't have any money, prosecutors said.

Kelly L. Batchelor, 41, of the 9400 block of North Route 31, was sentenced to six years in prison in exchange for a guilty plea to one count of burglary and one count of deceptive practice, according to the Kane County state's attorney's office.

Authorities said she wrote bad checks during two instances in 2013, after she was on probation for offenses committed in 2007, including convictions for identity theft and financial exploitation of an elderly person. Authorities say Batchelor accumulated debt of more than $60,000 in her grandmother's name on various credit cards and other loans and financial obligations.

Prosecutors said her most recent conviction is the result of two purchases she made with bad checks. Between May 28 and 29, they say she knowingly purchased various items worth $329.99 from a West Dundee retail store with a bad check, then traded the items for cash at a pawnshop.

On June 2, 2013, prosecutors said Batchelor knowingly purchased miscellaneous furniture items worth $2,801.50 from an Algonquin furniture store with a bad check.

In both cases, the checks were returned to the stores as being written on a closed account.

On Thursday, Batchelor was sentenced to six years in prison for the burglary conviction, three years for the deceptive practice conviction and five years for violating her 2010 sentence of probation. The terms are to be served concurrently.