Aurora man accused of forgery, illegal deer hunting

Prosecutor claims he illegally cashed checks, shot deer from road

(AURORA, Ind.) – An Aurora man is accused of numerous crimes that range from forging checks to illegal deer hunting.

46-year-old Christopher Schwab was initially charged with several counts related to cashing checks by forging signatures. 

Dearborn County Prosecutor Lynn Deddens said Schwab is a public adjuster who owned a roofing company called Over the Top Roofing. 

“The alleged victims did not give Schwab or his company permission to sign checks on their behalf. Furthermore, other victims allege that they did not sign any contract granting Schwab permission to bill their insurance company,” Deddens said. 

Schwab took the checks to various banks in an effort to deposit them, Deddens added. 

He turned himself into the Dearborn County Law Enforcement Center earlier this week and had an initial hearing.

The following day, Schwab received additional charges that were signed off on by the Indiana DNR.

Authorities had been investigating reports of deer being shot from the roadway in southern Dearborn County. 

One homeowner on Tall Oak Drive said he was on his back deck when he witnessed a person shoot a deer from a car window. 

The witness claimed that a spotlight was not used, and there was no loud sound that a high-power rifle would typically make. The car allegedly drove off after the deer was killed. 

Deddens said that there have been other reports of deer being shot in the Dutch Hollow area.

Investigators applied for a GPS data warrant and say the findings place Schwab’s cell phone in close proximity of where the deer was shot. 

Schwab’s cell phone was seized and it was taken to the Dearborn County High Tech Crimes Unit. 

“Located on Schwab's cell phone were screen recordings of a couple of white-tailed deer in a field being allegedly shot and killed. These recordings were from March of 2024,” Deddens said. 

Schwab’s remains behind bars as a bond hearing is set for Monday.