On Friday, September 15, 2017, the Indiana State Police arrested a Hanover, Indiana woman for numerous charges related to a burglary investigation that began ten days earlier. She had previously been arrested in April for credit card fraud.
The investigation led to the arrest of Angela M. Edwards, age 37, Hanover.
Edwards was arrested on preliminary charges of:
- Burglary, level 4 Felony
- Fraud, level 6 Felony
- Identity Deception, level 6 Felony
- Theft, Class A Misdemeanor
- Possession of Stolen Property, Class A Misdemeaner
Edwards was transported to the Jefferson County Jail where she was incarcerated pending her initial court appearance.
The investigation by Trooper Michael Thiron began on September 5, 2017 when he responded to a report of a burglary that occurred at 3812 West Deer Bend Drive, Hanover, Indiana in which cash, credit card numbers, and other items were stolen.
During the investigation, Trp. Thiron obtained information that ultimately led to a search warrant being served at 3800 West Deer Bend Drive on September 15.
During the search warrant, Trp. Thiron and other troopers with the Indiana State Police-Versailles Post located evidence which led to the arrest of Edwards.
Madison Police arrested Edwards back in April after she allegedly took another person’s credit card and used it to purchase hundreds of dollars worth of pre-paid credit cards at a local store.
Edwards faced Level 6 felony counts of theft and fraud following an investigation after the credit card account holder alerted police that someone had used the card for a purchase of more than $100. Prosecutors filed the charges under seal on April 25.
The account holder notified police on April 17 that he received a text notification about his wife’s credit card being used at a hilltop store for a purchase exceeding $100, the probable cause affidavit stated. The wife said she was not at the store and the credit card was missing from her purse.
Store records showed three transactions made with the card at 3:21 p.m., 3:23 p.m. and 3:24 p.m. Each of the purchases were for $200 Visa Debit gift cards and other miscellaneous items, the affidavit said.
Surveillance video from the store indicated a female made the transactions, but the account holder couldn’t identify the woman. His wife – a teacher – identified the female as someone who volunteered in her classroom earlier in the day and said Edwards could have had access to the purse and credit card.
The cashier at the store told police that the credit card was flagged after three transactions and she told the woman an identification would be needed to purchase additional gift cards. Edwards allegedly told the cashier that her identification was lost or stolen and couldn’t be provided at that time, so she left two more gift cards behind and exited the store.
Detectives and officers went to Edwards’ home to speak with her about the complaint.
The woman told police she had volunteered at the school during the day and allowed police to search her purse for the items. Police failed to locate the items in the woman’s purse, the affidavit said, but later discovered the missing credit card and gift cards in the home.
Edwards told police she had no recollection of stealing the credit card from the classroom or purchasing items at the store.
A warrant for Edward’s arrest was issued, and officers arrested her back in April.
