First, I apologize if this is not acceptable to the forum, but need some advice. I respect the wisdom and experience of those on this board, and figure that some of you have experienced the same problem I am going through.

Recently, I sold an item in a weekly local sales paper (it was a handgun). I have done this before and never had any problems. Well, this particular time I accepted a credit card check from the buyer. He showed me the credit card it was drawn on, and I actually wrote down his drivers license number. I usually am wary of taking a check (especially for $850), but felt I had plenty of info on the guy, and actually trusted him as we had a pretty good conversation about many things, and spoke for over 30 minutes. As you might guess, the check was returned to me as UNAUTHORIZED, and I am out the $850 plus a $12 return check fee. The phone numbers I have on the buyer are no longer good (one was a pay phone), and the place he told me he works at can't be found.

I called my credit union (one of the largest in the south) and spoke with them about the check. They explained to me that I would have to call the bank the check was drawn on and speak with them. Of course when I call that bank, I am told that they cannot release any information, and my bank must begin the process.

Since this was a handgun, I decided to call the police and file a report. Yesterday a detective called me and had a lineup of pictures for me to look at, and I was able to pick out the buyer. I was surprised at this point that his drivers license was not a fake. Gave the detective a 4 page report, and she said they are issuing a warrant for this guy, and he will definitely serve jail time. If the felony charge holds up, maybe 2-3 years, and if he pays me the $850, it will be dropped to a misdemeanor, and he will only serve a couple of months at the most.

My concern is what else should I do. I have searched for this person (lives in another city about an hour away from me). Cannot find any record of him on the internet phone lookups, so I haven't spoken with him since the transaction. In my eyes, there is still a possibility that this is a mistake by the banks, but I cannot verify this, and feel helpless in pursuing this information. Maybe I'm too trusting, but I hate to put a person through this if it is just a misunderstanding.

Is there anything else I can do? I will charge the guy if necessary, but am worried that I've overlooked something.

I will be away from my computer until lunch time, but look forward to any help!!

Thanks for any advice!!