A husband and wife from Wisconsin who had been renting an apartment in the Lewis & Clark Apartments in Mandan were arrested Thursday evening after police found what appears to be a counterfeit check-making operation in their residence, said Mandan Police Lt. Paul Leingang.

Leingang said Friday there is more investigating to be done, but thinks there may be a large number of bad checks out there that were passed in the Mandan area and other jurisdictions.

Peter Shilts, 32, is facing a theft by deception charge, which is Class C felony, and Jennifer Shilts, 25, also known as Jennifer Solmon, was arrested at the Mandan restaurant where she worked and later charged with accomplice to commit theft by deception, a Class C felony.

South Central District Judge Donald Jorgenson set bond Friday at $10,000 each.

Leingang said the couple had lived in the apartment at 404 W. Main St. for a couple of weeks. Police obtained a search warrant after getting information from a local businessman about a check that he told police "doesn't look right."

"We got the check and investigated it (and) found out it was no good,"Leingang said.

He said investigators then obtained further information, enough to obtain a search warrant, including information that Peter Shilts had outstanding warrants in Clay County in Minnesota for similar allegations.

The first check police inspected had a Wisconsin address. Other checks found during the investigation had Fargo addresses. At least one check had the address of a Fargo church that investigators found out wasn't a valid church - the Apostolic Power & Hope Church, 4340 13th Ave., Fargo, Leingang said.

Leingang is asking that businesses watch for any more checks and call their local police department if they suspect a check is counterfeit. The check could have the Shiltses' name on it, a Wisconsin or Fargo address, or may not have their name on it, but may have the name of the nonvalid church.

Leingang said he has information that the Shiltses have children but doesn't know where they might be, ages or other information about them.

(Reach reporter Virginia Grantier at 250-8254 or at virginia.grantier@;bismarcktribune.com.)