FARMINGTON – Local police are alerting businesses to a string of bogus checks passed at sporting goods, furniture and appliance stores and banks, as they search for the man they believe is responsible for them.

Detective Marc Bowering said Tuesday that police are asking for the public’s help in finding Branden Belanger, 38, who has ties to the Mexico area.

He said Belanger is suspected of giving at least five bad checks to Farmington businesses and banks in the area in the past month. He said the average amount of the checks is about $800.

Belanger is also suspected of cashing bad checks in towns from Madison, Maine, to Gorham, N.H.

The checks list a fraudulent address, Bowering said.

Anyone who has contact with Belanger or knows where he is is asked to contact their local police department or Farmington police at 778-6311.