Suspected forger will likely plead guilty

A Carson City woman charged in three counties for forgery-related activities waived her preliminary trial Friday and will likely plead guilty to lesser charges in Carson City District Court.

Kristina Lynn Snipes, 28, reportedly wrote more than $3,000 dollars worth of checks in Carson City, Douglas and Storey counties. She was also suspected of bigamy, a charge that was dropped Friday.

As a matter of judicial economy, the 11 charges leveled against Snipes will be combined into two felony counts of passing bad checks, said District Attorney Noel Waters, the prosecutor in the case.

Waters said he will recommend restitution and two four-year sentences to run concurrently as punishment for the bad-check campaign.

Public Defender Steve McGuire defended Snipes in Judge Robey Willis's courtroom.

The bigamy charge was dropped, partly because it is difficult to prosecute, Waters said. "Each county seat keeps their own records of divorces, so we would have to go around to each and every one - in the country."

He said it is a situation that he hopes will be resolved.

Snipes will be released Monday to check into Vitality House, a drug treatment center in Elko. She will likely be sentenced next month.