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 any money they had on them 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 at 2 p.m. Wednesday after investigators 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 on 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 remains in custody with bail for three warrants totaling $15,000 bail. Two of the warrants are for spousal abuse and 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.

Sheriff's detective Scott Dover said a valid account number on a check is necessary before it can be cashed.

With a legitimate account number, a counterfeiter can turn out checks for any amount and using the name of any business.

In this instance, detectives found a check made out to the Merced Mall but with the prisoners trust fund account number.

Bad checks using the prisoners trust fund have cropped up over the past two years, Dover said.

Mussotto said investigators confiscated seven complete working computers out of parts scattered all over the house as well as software used to manufacture checks.

They also found three completed checks ready to be cashed, another dozen being used for practice, and check paper with "Merced County" printed on it, the detective said.

Mussotto urged business owners cashing checks to closely look at the identification of the person cashing the check, get a clear thumbprint, and if there is any question, to call the check issuer.