Stacy Bastian

An Evans City woman accused of forging an elderly woman's signature to cash checks was sentenced to probation in Butler County Court on Thursday.

Stacy L. Bastian, 44, was sentenced to 24 months of probation by county Judge Timothy McCune, after she pleaded guilty to felony forgery and misdemeanor retail theft and possession of a controlled substance on March 8.

She also was ordered to pay $1,738 in restitution, $200 in fines and undergo any counseling deemed appropriate by the county probation office.

Bastian's attorney, Jeffrey Thompson, said drug issues were the underlying reason behind the crimes, and that Bastian is currently 30 days into a 90-day inpatient drug treatment program.

“She is doing extremely well in that program,” he said. “She is a changed person from when I first met her, that's for sure.”

Bastian was initially charged with 70 felony counts — 16 counts of forgery, 15 counts of theft, 15 counts of receiving stolen property, 12 counts of access device fraud and 12 counts of identity theft — after incidents between November and December 2015. The remaining charges were dismissed as part of the plea.

Adams Township police said she allegedly forged nine Dollar Bank checks made out to her and forged the signature of an Adams Township resident while the victim was in a nursing home.

It was also found that she allegedly attempted to cash five more checks, but the bank alerted the victim, who then closed the account.

She also stole and used the victim's debit card on 11 occasions during June and July, racking up $664 in charges, police said.

Bastian was released from Butler County Prison on $1,500 bail on Oct. 18, 2016.

The retail theft and possession charges stem from an incident in Butler Township on July 19, 2016, where township police said she allegedly stole two energy drinks valued at $4 at the Dollar General store on Route 68. Police said they also found her with pills for which she did not have a prescription.