LAPLACE — A Reserve man was sentenced to two years probation after pleading guilty to theft following his summer arrest on payroll check fraud charges.

According to the St. John Clerk of Court’s office, 20-year-old Delano Frank pleaded guilty Sept. 13 to attempted theft of a value of less than $750 as part of an agreement with prosecutors in which other charges were dropped.

At the time of Frank’s arrest June 20, he was charged with misdemeanor theft — less than $750, principal to forgery, attempted bank fraud and misdemeanor unauthorized use of an access card.

The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office was alerted to the case in June when a victim reported someone stole a check issued by his employer and forged his name on it, then deposited it into an account at a local bank.

The victim told deputies he moved to a new address and discovered the check was mailed to his previous address, and the occupants of this residence had recently moved out.

Police said a business surveillance camera showed Frank at an ATM, depositing the check.

As part of Frank’s plea, according to the Clerk’s office, he was sentenced to three months in parish jail suspended and given 24 months of active probation.

He was credited with time served from June 20 and assessed $669.50 in fees and fines.