Woman faces burglary, forgery charges

SANDPOINT - A Montana woman has been arrested for allegedly stealing a check from her former employer and using it pay for $3,200 in merchandise at Walmart.

Angie Lee Goforth is charged with grand theft, burglary and forgery. She made an initial appearance via video feed from the Bonner County Jail on Tuesday.

Judge Debra Heise sustained $12,000 bail and appointed a public defender to represent her, court records show.

Goforth, 33, of Noxon, Mont., is accused of using the boosted check belonging to Clearview Horizon on April 29 and forging it to pay for $3,274 in goods, according to a Ponderay Police probable cause affidavit.

Clearview Horizon is a therapeutic Christian boarding school for girls in Heron, Mont., according to the school's website. The school is for girls and young women who are between the ages of 13-21 and have life-controlling issues such as addiction and other disorders.

Goforth was employed at the school until April 8, although court records do not indicate what ended her employment. The theft was discovered when Walmart asked school officials why they didn't use Clearview Horizon's tax identification number when the $3,200 purchase was made.

School officials reviewed surveillance video from the store and identified Goforth using the check. Goforth, the affidavit said, texted a school official and said she had "done something stupid." That was followed by an email in which Goforth expressed shame and said she was finding another job so she could repay the school.

Goforth was detained in Sanders County on June 3 and waived extradition to Idaho, court records indicate.

Heise found there was probable cause to sustain the theft and forgery charges but not the burglary charge, which is still pending, according to court records.

A preliminary hearing in the case is set for July 15.