Thursday, July 06, 2000
Sister's arrests strain identity
By Janice Morse
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Last year, the name “Sandra Lee Ledger” appeared on a list of suspects arrested in a Hamilton prostitution sweep. Twice last month, that name showed up on other Hamilton police arrest records — along with her date of birth and Social Security number.
But Ms. Ledger has never been handcuffed and has never seen the inside of a jail cell.
Her look-alike sister has.
“All of these police officers are out there thinking Sandy Ledger has done all of these bad things. They're associating my name with her face,” said Ms. Ledger, 30, of Oxford. “I share her physical features, but not her lifestyle.”
A church-going mother and human resources professional, Ms. Ledger is scheduled to appear in Hamilton Municipal Court this morning, when she hopes charges against her will be dropped and new warrants will be issued against her sister, Julia Ann Bradshaw, 26.
Ms. Ledger agrees that her sister, who has served prison time and has been arrested repeatedly, is largely responsible for the predicament. But Ms. Ledger also questions how police could have been fooled repeatedly — especially after Ms. Ledger told authorities about her sister's tactic a year ago.
“She's been arrested under my name not once, but three times. So whose fault is that?” Ms. Ledger said. “There's got to be an answer to this somewhere.”
Ms. Ledger complained to police about the problem when her name appeared in a Cincinnati Enquirer story on prostitution arrests in June 1999.
At the time, Hamilton Police Chief Neil Ferdelman was temporarily serving as assistant city manager. Chief Ferdelman said he became aware of Ms. Ledger's problem Wednesday, when the Enquirer contacted him for comment.
“It sounds to me like Sandra Lee Ledger has been through hell ... She's been a victim of injustice, mostly at the hands of her sister,” he said. “It really is a case of identity theft.”
He said police do their best to ensure that they correctly identify those who are arrested. But officers can be misled if someone like Ms. Bradshaw correctly answers key identifying questions, such as Social Security number and date of birth.
Police don't fingerprint suspects in low-level misdemeanors. Even if they did, it would take time to determine whether the suspect had given someone else's name.
On Wednesday, Chief Ferdelman ordered that incorrect information be removed from police records, that police assist in correcting court records on the two women, and that all patrol shifts be alerted to the identity misuse and be on the lookout for Ms. Bradshaw.
But Ms. Ledger feels frustrated and hopeless, particularly since she learned that her sister was in and out of police custody this week. Ms. Bradshaw gave her real name when she was picked up for failing to appear on previous charges but was released Tuesday — a day after Ms. Ledger, a judge and a lawyer met with some police officers to discuss the problem.
“I regret that,” said Chief Ferdelman. But he said his records indicate police lacked the felony- level charges to justify transferring Ms. Bradshaw to the county jail; the city jail is authorized to hold prisoners for only eight hours.
Ms. Ledger said police told her that warrants had been issued for her sister from Fairfield, Hamilton city and Hamilton County. Also, the state prisons department has declared Ms. Bradshaw a parole violator.
“Why isn't that enough to keep her locked up?” Ms. Ledger asked. “I can't believe it. I can't understand it.”
Ms. Bradshaw was released from prison Feb. 24 after she finished an 11-month sentence for forgery and theft convictions involving her mother's personal checks. Since then, she hasn't complied with conditions of her release, said Joe Andrews, state prisons spokesman. Ms. Bradshaw has failed to inform authorities of her current address and also has failed to remain in contact with her post-release officer.
Ms. Ledger said the first sign of her sister's latest misuses of her identity came Monday, when an attorney called Ms. Ledger at home and said he had been appointed by the court to represent her.
“For what?” Ms. Ledger replied. “Then I had to explain the whole thing, and I thought, "Here we go again.'”
Ms. Ledger said she has not been in contact with her sister since she has been sent to prison last July. She said her sister wrote to her from prison, but Ms. Ledger ignored the letters.
Chief Ferdelman said police are convinced that all of the arrests bearing Ms. Ledger's name actually involved Ms. Bradshaw.
On June 2, she was arrested for obstructing official business after she allegedly informed a drug suspect that he was talking to undercover officers.
On June 28, she was arrested for failing to show up for a court appearance on the obstructing charge.
“At this point, I am so sick of this,” Ms. Ledger said. “I feel like it's never going to end for me.”
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