Wednesday, February 17, 1999
Woman held on fake-ID charge
Fugitive unit catches suspect in Ind. cases
BY MICHAEL D. CLARK
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON — A West Chester woman wanted as part of a fake identification ring is in custody, and Butler County sheriff's deputies said Tuesday more arrests may follow.
Butler County Sheriff Harold Don Gabbard announced the arrest of Lynda Davidson during a press conference that highlighted the sheriff's new fugitive unit, which tracked Ms. Davidson down last week.
Deputies estimated Ms. Davidson is about 50 years old, and they said she used as many as seven aliases and six Social Security numbers. Deputies refused to reveal her West Chester address, citing their continuing investigation.
She is wanted on forgery, theft and stolen property charges out of Indianapolis and Marion County, Ind., officers said.
Initially officers were not sure of her real name since she used an alias of Linda London, among many others.
“We see a lot of this type of fraud, but this is the first time I've seen someone with so many identities,” said Butler County Detective Sgt. Mike Craft.
He said FBI investigators in Indiana said the file on Ms. Davidson was the largest of any suspect wanted for producing false identifications.
Sgt. Craft said Ms. David son, and those she worked with, “did a pretty good job of scamming people.”
“It appears they are able to produce driver's licenses from all states and Social Security cards that look legitimate. It's a concern for all law enforcement,” Sgt. Craft said.
He added that other suspects in the Butler County area are being investigated.
Ms. Davidson remains in custody at the Butler County Jail and is expected to have an extradition hearing regarding her Indiana charges by the end of this week.
“We have agents from the Secret Service and the FBI coming in (today) to review some of this,” Sgt. Craft said.
He said the county's new fugitive unit, which started operations last week with two investigators, has already notched seven arrests and launched numerous investiga tions.
The special unit will help handle a growing number of fugitive cases, originating in the county and elsewhere.
“We currently have 348 outstanding fugitive warrants in Butler County. And that, combined with regular calls for assistance from other departments ... it was becoming overwhelming,” Sgt. Craft said.
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