A former Fayette County woman awaits sentencing on a forgery charge pressed against her by her husband of 24 years for allegedly using his checks without permission.

Jerry W. Savage, 67, of Barrett Road, filed an incident report with the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office Aug. 23, 2016 against his wife, Elizabeth.

According to court records, Elizabeth Savage had not been living with her husband for approximately five months and had made several checking account charges that he said were not authorized.

Jerry reported in the incident report that his wife was “estranged.”

Elizabeth Savage was interviewed by detectives from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office in reference to her husband’s complaint.

Savage said she had moved out of the marital home and moved into her sister’s house in Beavercreek in 2016. During that time, Savage told detectives she and her husband continued to see one another and said she had spent several nights with her husband at the marital home since moving out.

With regard to the checking account in question, Savage said she was not a joint owner on the account but said her husband had given her the checkbook and a debit card tied to the account with permission to use the account to take care of herself, their child and the household.

Savage said she did not make any purchases that her husband wasn’t aware of and explained that all charges in question would have been made with her husband’s knowledge and consent.

Her husband allegedly argued that he never gave his wife the checkbook. He told deputy sheriffs that his wife stole the checks. He said that over the course of five months his wife allegedly spent an unauthorized $2,650 from the checking account, up until August 2016 when he decided to file a report.

Elizabeth Savage was charged in November on 18 fifth-degree felony charges of forgery and theft and one fourth-degree felony charge.

She later filed for divorce Jan. 30, 2017 citing incompatibility. The couple has been married for 24 years and according to court records, Elizabeth filed for child and spousal support and has been temporarily awarded nothing in child support and $200 per month in spousal support.

In an agreement with the state Thursday, Savage plead no contest to the single charge of fourth-degree forgery. The 18 fifth-degree forgery and theft charges were dismissed.

The court found Savage guilty of forgery. She is scheduled for sentencing July 17 in the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas.