Attorney arrested on stolen check charge

A Winchester lawyer has been arrested for allegedly stealing and depositing three checks from the father of her child.

Media reports and court records say Shelly R. Collette was arrested Wednesday for larceny of checks valued at greater than $200. The felony allegedly occurred Dec. 20.

The three business checks taken were said to be valued at $1,605, according to a report from WHAG-TV.

Collette allegedly sought to deposit the checks in a joint account belonging to both parents. She told a bank clerk that the father had requested the checks be deposited in that account, the criminal complaint said.

The father denied that story, the complaint said.

Denied by the bank clerk, Collette allegedly used an automated teller machine to deposit the checks in the joint account.

Collette was released on her own recognizance, according to the court record. An arraignment is scheduled March 9.

Collette faces other legal troubles. She was arraigned Feb. 29 on two charges of driving on a suspended license, according to court records.

Last year, a three-judge panel affirmed a Virginia State Bar public reprimand against Collette for using an unqualified court reporter to take a deposition in a civil case.