Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, November 17, 1994                   TAG: 9411170092
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-8   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

FORMER STUDENT CHARGED WITH FORGING, PASSING CHECKS

Amro Yehya Omar Khaled, 25, who lives at Windsor Hills apartments, was charged last week after Tech and Blacksburg officers served a search warrant at his apartment.

Tech police obtained the search warrant after Tech employees notified them of two bounced checks, one for tuition and one to the University Bookstore for $252.89. Both checks were written on an account in the name of Madian Bakri, but had written notations at the top with Khaled's name.

The returned search warrant indicates officers seized dozens of items from Khaled's apartment, including First Union bank checks assigned to the name of Madian Bakri.

Tech Lt. Larry Snidow said an investigation revealed that someone opened a checking account in that name on Aug. 9 at the National Bank of Blacksburg. The account was closed Sept. 9.

Meanwhile, Snidow said, "checks started showing up everywhere."

At Khaled's apartment, police seized computer disks, clothing, credit cards, receipts and a California driver's license issued in the name of Madian Riad Bakri.

An investigation is continuing and it is not clear whether Bakri exists or is a made-up name.

Tech's Police Department is the only one so far to place charges against Khaled, but police said investigations are ongoing in Blacksburg and Roanoke where merchants have reported accepting the checks.

"We can trace that stuff back. Some of it still has the [price] tags on it," Snidow said.

Khaled was released on a $30,000 bond. He was a sophomore mechanical engineering student at Tech, but is no longer enrolled, police said.