A South Jacksonville woman arrested for insurance fraud after dumping her car in Waverly Lake last spring will avoid prison time.
Twenty-seven-year-old Helyne Wiser of the 200 block of East Greenwood pleaded guilty to the crime in Morgan County Circuit Court yesterday. Judge Richard Mitchell ordered Wiser to serve 2 years probation and pay an $1,100 fine.
http://liarcatchers.com/insurance_fraud.html
Morgan County assistant state’s attorney Robert Bonjean says Wiser reported her 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and about $3,000 worth of stereo equipment supposedly inside the car stolen in April. The Morgan County Search and Rescue Team found the vehicle in Waverly Lake in June. The stereo equipment was found at a Jacksonville residence after an investigation.
Bonjean says it’s Wiser’s first felony offense.
“She had no criminal history to speak of that would warrant a sentence to the department of corrections,” says Bonjean. “So, the state felt the appropriate recommendation was probation. And then restitution we don’t have a firm grasp of. That’s why I asked the court to order the probation department to prepare a restitution report for the parties to review.”
He hopes this outcome will serve a lesson to others.
“Conviction for felony is the most severe punishment as a result of [the crime],” says Bonjean. “Hopefully, we can use that as a deterrent for anyone else trying to do something so foolish.”
Twenty-six-year-old Chance Jackson-Stille of the 200 block of East Greenwood is facing a charge of insurance fraud for his role in the incident. A resolution in his case could happen next month.
