Authorities say the arrests of two Merced women have halted production of counterfeit checks using the Merced County Sheriff's Department Prisoner Trust Fund account number.

The prisoner trust fund is used to reimburse outgoing inmates for money they had when they arrived at the jail or cash accumulated from families or friends for use in the commissary, an investigator said.

Sheriff's detective John Mussotto, assigned to the Sacramento Valley High Tech Crime Task Force, said the arrests were made Wednesday.

He said investigators had learned from an informant that counterfeit checks with the trust fund account number were being manufactured at an address in the 800 block of Modoc Street.

As a result, Kimberly Haring, 39, and Chavella Whitnell, 28, were arrested and booked on outstanding warrants.

Haring remained in custody Thursday on two outstanding warrants for welfare fraud and perjury, with total bail amounting to $10,000, according to sheriff's spokeswoman Emma Merino.

Whitnell also remained in custody with bail for three warrants totaling $15,000. Two of the warrants are for spousal abuse; the other for vehicle violations.

However, Mussotto, the lead investigator in the case, said the investigation is continuing and counterfeiting charges against the two are expected to be filed at a later date.