A Washington Parish man was recently charged with 20 counts of forgery, as well as other crimes.

Chief Deputy Mike Haley of the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office said that on Friday, Jan. 20, Timothy Alan Goings, Jr., 26, a resident of Cordy Temples Road, was arrested and charged with 20 counts of forgery, possession of stolen property and contempt of court.

The search for Goings began several days earlier when WPSO detectives learned that Goings was cashing bank checks in Bogalusa and Franklinton that had been stolen earlier from a business on Highway 21 south in Bogalusa, Haley said. The victimized businesses were asked to notify law enforcement if Goings returned and attempted to cash another check.

Haley said that on Friday, Jan. 20, Goings returned to a Franklinton business, which promptly notified the Franklinton Police Department who responded to the business and arrested Goings. When WPSO detectives interviewed Goings, he confessed to using the approximately $8,000 he received from the checks to support his drug addiction, Haley said.

Goings remains in the Washington Parish Jail with bond set at $10,050.

Haley said that Goings has been in the parish jail two previous times. In 2014, he was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to appear and traffic offenses. He was arrested again in 2016 for failure to appear, contempt of court and no seat belt.

Sheriff Randy Seal commented on Goings’ most recent arrest.

“First of all, I am grateful to the Franklinton Police Department for their assistance in this matter,” Seal said. “We have a great working relationship with Chief Smith and his officers. They are always ready, willing and able to assist when called upon. I also caution parish businesses to be very diligent in accepting checks from persons they do not know and to always ask for personal identification.

“Goings’ arrest highlights a serious problem not only in Washington Parish, but also in other areas. The use of illegal narcotics drives much of the crime we experience in our parish. Persons with a drug addiction will steal anything they can and then sell it at a bargain price to gain funds used to purchase illegal drugs. Either directly or indirectly, the drug trade contributes to most criminal activity, from theft to murder.”