By Cherrie Anne E. Villahermosa
Variety News Staff

A 23-year-old man is accused of stealing and cashing a company checkin the amount of $1,000.
Mark Daniel Q. Echaluse was arrested on Friday afternoon on theft and forgery charges, and was brought to Superior Court for a bail hearing yesterday morning before Presiding Judge Robert C. Naraja.
Echaluse posted a $5,000 unsecured bond for his temporary release.
He was released from the custody of the Department of Corrections yesterday to a third party custodian.
Naraja ordered Echaluse to stay away from his former work place, Security Title Inc., and not to enter any poker establishment and stay at least 50 feet away from them.
Naraja at the same time ordered Chief Prosecutor Jeffery Warfield Sr., to file the information by March 15.
Echaluse was represented by Assistant Public Defender Kelly Butcher.
According to the affidavit of Detective Patrick Maanao of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, at 9:10 a.m. on Friday, Stewart Smith and Elizabeth Aldan of Security Title Inc. came to the Department of Public Safety and reported a theft.
Smith and Aldan told police that Echaluse, who was then an employee of Security Title Inc., had a company check paid to himself in the amount of $1,000 dated Feb. 14.
They said Echaluse cashed the check.
On Feb. 14, he asked Aldan for a cash advance of $1,600 to “catch up on some payments” for his car loan.
Aldan did not give Echaluse a cash advance but gave him his paycheck in advance.
The paycheck was postdated for Feb. 23 but Aldan changed it to Feb. 14.
Echaluse left the office and was gone for the rest of the day.
When Aldan called him to ask his whereabouts, Echaluse said he was busy and was trying to work out some deal regarding the payment of his car loan.
The company check had the signature of Aldan and was cashed at Dial Rent to Own Saipan.
Aldan told the investigator that she did not type the check and did not sign it either.
Aldan said she is very particular about how she types the checks.
She said she does not type the address of the employee on the check and does not sign off on blank checks.
Smith and Aldan said Echaluse was not authorized to write or type checks for the company.
Smith said there are eight Bank of Hawaii checks and four Bank of Guam checks unaccounted for as of this time.
Smith told investigators that he will try to find the missing checks.
The affidavit stated that on March 2, the investigator met the Dial Rent to Own Saipan manager who confirmed receiving payment from Echaluse on Feb. 20.
The manager and the cashier said Echaluse paid his bill at Dial Rent to Own amounting to over $700.
According to the affidavit, the check that Echaluse gave to Dial Rent to Own was the same check he forged and stole from Security Title Inc.
Echaluse was ordered to appear in court on March 19 at 9 a.m. for arraignment.