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A Des Moines man faces several felony charges after he was tied to several falsified checks used in Pella businesses. Joseph Emerson, 31, is charged with ongoing criminal conduct, a class B felony, four counts of forgery, each a class D felony, and three counts of 4th degree theft. According to court records, the Pella Police Department received several reports of checks from closed accounts being used at local businesses. Security footage showed a male and female in the four cases investigated by the department. Nikola Fuller, 29, was arrested in March and pled guilty to four counts of forgery in relation to the cases in both Pella and Knoxville, and is serving a five-year prison term. Fuller, as part of a statement, identified Emerson as the male accomplice, and a warrant for his arrest was sent out in March. He was picked up and detained by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office earlier this week.