A 23-year-old Bemidji woman pleaded guilty this week to eight separate counts of felony forgery and fraudulent credit card transactions primarily in connection to a rash of vehicle break-ins between May and September at public accesses and trailheads.
Nicole Lee Kramer entered her pleas before Beltrami County District Court Judge Shari Schluchter on Tuesday and Wednesday.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for April 9.
On May 3, a man reported his vehicle, which was parked at the Lake Plantagenet access, was broken into. His wallet and checkbook were stolen, and the defendant issued over $1,000 worth of forged checks in early June, according to the formal complaint from Beltrami County District Court.
On May 12, Blackduck Police responded to a report from an employee of Anderson Fabrics who had her purse stolen from her vehicle. Between May 12 and June 6, the defendant issued $514 in forged checks. On May 12, the defendant attempted to withdraw $731 with the victims debit card.
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On May 13, Beltrami County Deputies responded to a report of a vehicle break-in at the Big Turtle Lake access. A credit card stolen from the vehicle was used by the defendant to rack up more than $700 in charges.
The same day, Blackduck Police responded to a report of a vehicle break-in at the Blackduck Lake access. A credit card stolen from the vehicle was used to charge $972 worth of merchandise at Wal-Mart, Target and MarketPlace Foods in Bemidji. Surveillance cameras at Wal-Mart recorded the suspect making a purchase with the stolen card.
On June 25, a Beltrami County investigator responded to a public access on Lake Julia on a report that three vehicles had been broken into. Purses and other valuables had been taken from the vehicles. The defendant used one stolen debit card to obtain $400 in gift cards and $200 from an ATM in Bagley.
On July 10, a woman reported her vehicle had been broken into while parked at the Paul Bunyan Trail. A personal check written out to the victim for $578 was cashed by the defendant. The victim's checkbook was stolen and $600 worth of checks were forged by the defendant. Other items stolen from the car included $700 worth of CDs and $20 cash.
On Sept. 22 Bemidji Police were contacted by a woman who had a book of checks stolen from her mailbox. In late September, the defendant a total of $1,428 in forged checks from the victims account. At the time, she had no fewer than six active warrants for her arrest, according to the complaint.
