An attorney in Scott County is the one who may need a lawyer. Georgetown Police said Rhonda Cooper was arrested for six counts of identity theft. However, one of her clients told LEX 18 News that Cooper is innocent.
“If you hire somebody to work a case for you, then they end up stealing your identity, then yeah that’s a big deal. it’s a problem,” said Cpt. Robert Swanigan with the Georgetown Police Department.
It’s a problem a Scott County woman may have faced after investigators said she started getting calls from bill collectors. Officers said the collectors wanted around $4,000 dollars for charges from six different credit cards she never had. They are credit cards that police said Rhonda Cooper opened and used. A conclusion investigators said they came to after months of investigation.
http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html
“One was a hotel, there were some purchases of some concert tickets, gas at different locations. And this culminated with us charging her yesterday (Wednesday) with the six counts of theft of identity,” said Swanigan.
Investigators said Cooper was arrested on Main Street in Georgetown at her law office. People in the building said she practices under the name “Melton.” After the arrest, officials said Cooper later bonded out of the Scott County Detention Center.
On Thursday LEX 18 News went to the office on Main Street for her side of the story, and over the phone she later said that she did not want to comment.
However, one of her clients did want to talk. “There is no truth to it,” said Richard Maggard. He owns Here’s Your Sign and works nearby. As a client himself, he said he is confident that this is all a misunderstanding.
“I believe that there is a miss-communication somewhere … Because that’s not what type of person she is,” said Maggard.
He said Cooper is an honest lawyer, and that the truth of her innocence will come out.
Whatever the outcome of the case, police said this victim’s credit will likely take a hit, and the public will probably pay the price.
“In the end the consumers, you and I and everybody else, ends up paying for it,” said Swanigan.
Georgetown police said Rhonda Cooper also represents write-in Mayoral candidate, Steve Price. Investigators said Price was arrested on Wednesday for charges allegedly that he hit another lawyer in the arm.
