(7-29-25) Travis Allen Gerome Watters (39) of Columbus was arrested by the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office on a 5th degree felony theft, a 5th degree felony of deception, forgery, utter, possess with purpose to utter and 1st degree misdemeanor attempt arrest offense code.

He is being held in the Mercer County Adult Detention Center awaiting a Mercer County Common Pleas Court hearing.

In Ohio, forgery, uttering, and possession of a forged writing with the intent to utter, can be a fifth-degree felony. Deception, specifically securing writings by deception, is also a felony in Ohio. The severity of the forgery charge can escalate to a fourth or even third-degree felony depending on factors like the value of the property or services involved, if an elderly or disabled person was targeted, or if a loss was suffered by the victim.