Hearing for Forgery Suspect Raises Questions About Bond Payment

A Fairbury man charged with forgery was accused of paying his bond with a card and then disputing the charges with the card company. Braxton L. Devor, age 19, of Fairbury, appeared in Jefferson County Court on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, for a preliminary hearing. Linda Bauer was the presiding judge. Devor is charged with second degree forgery with a value of $5,000 or more, a class 2A felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and two counts of title violations, each a class 4 felony punishable by up to two years in prison, nine to 12 months of post-release supervision and a $10,000 fine. On March 14, 2024, the sheriff's office received a call regarding what the Affidavit for Arrest Warrant described as “Title Fraud and Forgery. Sheriff Nick Georgi took the call and reported that the caller, “stated that he has documents to show me that would prove that a male named Braxton Devor forged his daughter's signature on numerous documents to get his name onto a title for a vehicle that his daughter purchased.” After an investigation by the sheriff's office, a warrant was issued for Devor's arrest. Bond was originally set at $35,000 (10 percent). At Devor's arraignment on March 27 of this year, the defendant said he was unable to pay that amount and requested a PR (Personal Recognizance) bond.County Attorney Joseph Casson said, “There could be some reduction but I oppose a PR bond.”Judge Bauer agreed to lower the bond to $10,000 (10 percent). Because the charges are felonies, Devor has the right to a preliminary hearing to determine if there is enough evidence that a felony has been committed by the defendant. The prosecution called only one witness: Sheriff Georgi. On the stand, the sheriff said the defendant paid his bond with a credit or debit card. However, after his release, the sheriff was informed that the cardholder had disputed the payment, claiming the transaction was unauthorized. On cross-examination, Gropp asked the sheriff if he knew who filed the dispute, the defendant or someone else. Sheriff Georgi admitted he did not know. Casson asked that the defendant's bond be increased, “He has no funded motivation to appear for court.”Judge Bauer agreed, “I feel some additional bond should be posted.” The judge raised the bond to $20,000 (10 percent). Judge Bauer found sufficient evidence to bind the case over to District Court.

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