Jail gets fax ordering inmate’s release — from his girlfriend, Mississippi cops say
A Mississippi woman is behind bars after police accused her of faxing fake documents to get her boyfriend out of jail.
Stephanie House, 28, of Tupelo was arrested and charged with forgery on Thursday, Jan. 20, after authorities said she sent fake sentencing documents ordering her boyfriend’s release, according to The Daily Journal, citing the Lee County Sheriff’s Department.
Officials at the Lee County Adult Jail received a fax on Jan. 11 supposedly from Lee County Justice Court, police said in a news release. Jail staff immediately noticed “irregularities” with the request and contacted the court to confirm its validity.
The sheriff’s office stepped in to investigate after the court said it hadn’t sent the request.
After some more digging, investigators “discovered the fax number used to send the document belonged to Lee County Circuit Court,” the release says. But the number had been “spoofed,” according to investigators, and the fax hadn’t been sent from the circuit court either.
Police later identified the suspect as House, who authorities said was dating a man already in custody at the jail.
She remained in jail as of Monday, Jan. 24, and is also charged with credit card fraud and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Lee County is about 117 miles southeast of Memphis, Tennessee.
This story was originally published January 24, 2022 at 2:26 PM with the headline "Jail gets fax ordering inmate’s release — from his girlfriend, Mississippi cops say."