UPDATED: Rachuy denies issuing checks on closed accounts

A Duluth man has disputed information Duluth police recently released about his allegedly issuing checks to area merchants drawn on closed bank accounts.

Gale A. Rachuy, 60, said Friday that he has never written checks to the five businesses listed in a Duluth police report released Sept. 3.

The police report Duluth police stated that the five businesses may have been received one check “per the check ledger in police custody.”

When contacted about Rachuy’s denial, a Duluth police investigator said she couldn’t comment on any investigation. She referred a reporter to department spokesman Brad Wick who said the department issued a warning to area merchants on Sept. 3 after receiving information from merchants or authorities in other jurisdictions.

Wick said Duluth police assisted in Rachuy’s arrest earlier this month on federal charges of interstate transportation of stolen vehicles. Rachuy was being arraigned last week in federal court and has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which are set for trial on Jan. 10.

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