GILLETTE, Wyo. — A Sheridan man faces felony forgery charges after cashing a fraudulent check last year. After recovering the check and verifying security footage, a warrant was issued for his arrest, and a preliminary hearing has been scheduled.
William Big Hawk is charged with one felony forgery, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both. He is presumed innocent until he pleads or is found guilty.
According to Big Hawk’s criminal affidavit, which was filed by a Gillette Police Department officer, officers first became aware of the forgery in February 2025, when a member of a regional bank’s fraud division reported a possible case of check fraud.
She reportedly told them about Big Hawk, who entered the bank’s Gillette branch on December 2, 2024, to cash a $7,295 Blakeman Propane check. His IDs were checked and scanned, and he successfully exited the bank with the entire amount in hand.
According to the fraud investigator, Blakeman Propane reported to the bank a check for $2,795.50 that had been stolen just a few days before. Checking with the oilfield services company for which the check was intended revealed that it had never been received.
The bank reportedly intended to handle the situation internally, but after having to reimburse Blakeman Propane for $7,295.50 — Big Hawk had reportedly already withdrawn the funds — it decided to contact the police.
In February, officers obtained the fraudulent check as well as security footage stills of an individual identified as Big Hawk cashing it. Officers said they identified Big Hawk based on a booking photo from a previous arrest, specifically a prominent neck tattoo in both images.
In addition to the arrest warrant issued immediately following the police investigation, Big Hawk has active warrants in Gillette for property destruction and public intoxication, as well as one in Fort Collins, Colorado, for failure to comply with probation terms.
He was arrested shortly after the warrant was issued, on Friday, September 5. His arraignment was scheduled for that same day. He was issued a $10,000 cash-only bond.
Big Hawk’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 11, at the Campbell County Courthouse.
