Tuesday, May 8, 2007

St. Joseph Couple Arrested On 100+ Charges

   Lauderdale County, Alabama, authorities report that a St. Joseph couple was arrested last week on more than one hundred criminal charges apiece.

   Florence Police Officers became involved in the situation on Wednesday of last week when they were summoned to a Florence bank. Bank officials reported that a woman was attempting to use a fake ID to withdraw $5,500 from an account. An alert teller is credited with realizing the identification presented was not valid.

   The female suspect was still inside the bank, law enforcement officials report, when they arrived on the scene, while her husband was waiting inside their vehicle.

   According to investigators, more than 100 checks were found inside the couple’s automobile along with false credit history reports, fake driver licenses, and six fake identifications. Investigators indicate they gathered information, indicating that the checks and identifications were purchased in Memphis. Investigators have now joined forces with law enforcement officials from the Memphis Police Department.

   Amanda Virginia Mitchell, 27, and husband Patrick Deshor Mitchell, of Cowpen Road, St. Joseph (formerly of Memphis) were both placed under arrest and transported to the Lauderdale County Detention Center. Both are charged with 106 counts of second degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, four counts of fraudulent use of a credit card, three counts of third degree theft of property, attempted first degree theft of property and second degree theft of property. Amanda Mitchell is additionally charged with five counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance after officers allegedly discovered illegal prescription narcotics in her possession at the time of her arrest.

   Bond was set in excess of $100,000 apiece.