STATE POLICE INVESTIGATORS IN CANTON SAY 36-YEAR-OLD BRENDA THORNTON OF COUNTY ROUTE 57 WEST STOCKHOLM ALLEGEDLY WROTE A SERIES OF TEN FORGED CHECKS, CASHING AND POCKETING THE PROCEEDS. INVESTIGATORS SAY THEY RECEIVED A COMPLAINT FROM THE CANTON-BASED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION ORGANIZATION LAST MONTH. THORNTON IS NO LONGER EMPLOYED BY CAVA.

THORNTON WAS ARRAIGNED BEFORE CANTON VILLAGE JUSTICE GREGORY STORIE THURSDAY ON TEN COUNTS OF SECOND DEGREE FORGERY AND ONE COUNT OF THIRD DEGREE GRAND LARCENY. SHE WAS RELEASED TO PROBATION SUPERVISION UNTIL A COURT APPEARANCE SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 10TH. INVESTIGATORS SAY THEIR INVESTIGATION OF THORNTON IS ONGOING; THE SINGLE GRAND LARCENY COUNT IS THE FOR THE TOTAL VALUE OF THE CHECKS.

THORNTON HAS HAD A NUMBER OF HIGH-PROFILE JOB POSITIONS IN THE POTSDAM-CANTON AREA; SHE IS A FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE POTSDAM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND WAS, AT ONE TIME AN EMPLOYEE OF THE NEW YORK STATE LABOR DEPARTMENT OFFICE IN CANTON.