File Photo – Village of Cary Municipal Center | Photo: Village of Cary

Police say a Chicago woman stole a check that belonged to the Village of Cary and then altered and cashed the check, stealing nearly $10,000 worth of funds.

Patricia Harris, 42, of Chicago, was charged with two counts of theft and one count of forgery, which are Class 3 and 4 felonies.

Cary Deputy Police Chief Scott Naydenoff told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that Cary’s Finance Department was contacted by a vendor about a missed payment.

The vendor, a material supplier, reported they had not received payment for services provided to the village.

The village’s records showed the check had been issued to the vendor and was cashed, Naydenoff said.

A further investigation showed the check was cashed by Harris, who was not the intended recipient, in July.

The check was issued in the amount of $9,396.50, according to a criminal complaint.

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The check was intercepted at some point during the process of being mailed to the vendor, Naydenoff said.

Naydenoff said the check was “washed” to reflect a different payee.

The Cary Police Department Investigations Section was able to identify the offender as Harris.

The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges against Harris and detectives obtained arrest warrants for the woman on Wednesday.

Harris is not in custody yet and remains wanted, court records show.