Dear Waushara County Merchants and Residents:

If a worthless check is returned to you by the bank, you need to do the following before the District Attorney’s Office is able to process the check.

A. Mail a certified letter to the check writer advising him/her that the check was dishonored by the bank and demand payment of the check within five (5) days after receipt of your letter. Mail this letter to the last known address and keep a copy for yourself. (See attached Notice of Dishonor form).

B. After five (5) days have passed, and if payment has not been made, you can submit the check to the District Attorney’s Office. DO NOT ACCEPT PARTIAL PAYMENTS FROM THE CHECK WRITER.

You will need to send the following items to my office:

1) A copy of your letter (Notice of Dishonor form) advising the check writer that a check they issued has come back from the bank unpaid. The green certified mail card and receipt.

2) A completed Bad Check Information form (enclosed). It is important that you fill this form out in detail.

3) The original check (or image of check) stamped by the bank with the reason it was returned to you, any bank notices advising what you were charged by the bank as a service fee.

Please submit all your checks directly to the Waushara County District Attorney’s Office once you have attempted to receive payment from the check writers. All checks should be submitted to the District Attorney’s Office within sixty (60) days from the date the check was written. The person in my office that you can speak with and present questions to is Stephanie Howell.

The District Attorney’s Office will not accept checks written under $20.00, out of State checks, alleged forged checks, post dated checks, third party checks, checks for partial payments and checks issued for past consideration. Once you have submitted the check to the District Attorney’s Office please do not accept any payments from the check writers. All payments must come to the District Attorney’s Office.
In an effort to maximize your ability to be re-paid, the Waushara County District Attorney’s Office will be implementing its own in-house diversion check program. Persons who issue a worthless check will be allowed to avoid prosecution if they pay my office directly within a specified time frame. Upon full payment of obligations, the Waushara County District Attorney’s Office will in turn reimburse you for the amount of your check and any bank service charge fees. I ask for your patience and understanding during the course of this transition. As you can imagine, it is becoming increasingly difficult to acquire financial compliance from defendant’s in these economic times.