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Monday, September 13, 2010
Ind. Courts - "Woman tried to sabotage her boyfriend's armed robbery trial by pretending that she worked at the Tippecanoe County prosecutor's office"
That is the lede to this Sept. 11th story by Sophia Voravong of the Lafayette Journal Courier. Some quotes:
Sharnetta M. Barnes, 23, of Griffith is suspected of calling two key witnesses the night before a bench trial that began Thursday in Tippecanoe Superior Court 2 and telling them it was rescheduled.Barnes was seated behind the defense table and her boyfriend, Edward D. Mercer, on Friday afternoon when Dawn Gross, an investigator with the prosecutor's office, asked her to step outside.
She is charged in Tippecanoe Superior Court 5 with attempted obstruction of justice, a Class D felony, and two misdemeanor counts of impersonating a public servant. * * *
According to a probable cause affidavit, Barnes is suspected of buying a service called SpoofCard that allows users to specify what number will show on a caller ID display.
On Wednesday night, robbery victim Courtney Robinson received two calls from someone named "Tammy" who claimed to work at the Tippecanoe County prosecutor's office.
Robinson's cell phone showed that the call was from (765) 423-9305 -- the general number for the prosecutor's office.
"Tammy" told Robinson that he and a second victim, Kyle Bostic, did not need to show up for court Thursday morning.
But the two men from Indianapolis were suspicious and went to the prosecutor's office anyway to ask in person. This prompted an investigation by the Lafayette Police Department.
Unfortunately for "Tammy," detectives were able to subpoena and listen to the actual call to Robinson.
SpoofCard's website explains that calls are recorded "for capturing important information or simply to keep a phone call as a backup for future reference."
Prosecutor Pat Harrington said the case was the first time his office has filed allegations of witness tampering -- although they've long suspected it of occurring.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on September 13, 2010 09:04 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts