FLORENCE — A local man was arrested Friday after he was accused of trying to forge his grandmother’s signature on a stolen check but misspelled her name.

Jerry Benjamin Crowden, 19, 150 Lauderdale 270, Florence, is charged with second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, police said.

Detectives said Crowden is accused of trying to pass the check at a local bank on New Year’s Day.

“The woman’s name was clearly printed on the top of the check, but he still misspelled it,” Florence detective Justin Wright said. He said the spelling of the name was so bad that the teller at the bank wouldn’t take the check. Reports indicate the check was for $80 check.

“The bank teller recognized the signature was not right, and after Crowden left, the owner of the check was notified,” Wright said. “She called the police and reported that her check had been stolen.”

Wright said Crowden gave his name to the teller when he was trying to pass the check. Crowden was taken into custody Friday at a residence on Lauderdale 30. He is being held in the Lauderdale County Detention Center on bail of $1,000.

Tom Smith can be reached at 256-740-5757 or tom.smith@TimesDaily.com.