Wakefield v. State

Adams, Judge.

Ray Wakefield appeals from his conviction of financial identity fraud, theft by receiving stolen property and three counts of forgery in the first degree. We reverse.

On July 3, 2000, Billy Hair, Chairman of the Chatham County Commission, left his Ford Explorer running outside a convenience store while he went inside to pay for gas. When he came out of the store, the Explorer was gone, along with all his personal items in the vehicle, including his checkbooks, credit cards and golf clubs. That same day, Wakefield cashed a check drawn on Hair’s business account at a liquor store in…