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Scam involves fake jury duty call
News · July 24, 2014
West Branch Police this past week reported a new scam involving fake jury duty calls plus several other incidents throughout the city.
According to Sgt. Kory Hanna, several residents reported that they were contacted by individuals claiming to be associated with the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office, and that they demanded payment under the threat of arrest for failure to appear for jury duty, or for failure to appear in court on another matter.
“This is a scam,” Hanna wrote in an e-mail.
Residents getting such calls are encouraged to contact the WBPD at 319-643-2222 or the Cedar County Sheriff at 563-886-2121 to ask questions or if they feel they may be victims of identity theft.
“Requests for payment or personal information for seemingly ‘official’ purposes over the phone is highly uncommon,” Hanna writes. “(It) should be verified prior to any payment being made or information given.”
Officers also reported a variety of other incidents during the month of July:
• On July 2, Malissa Levell of West Branch was arrested on a charge of theft after video surveillance allegedly showed her taking a billfold that had been placed in the lost-and-found box at Jack & Jill grocery store.
• On July 7, James Hyatt of Clive was arrested at Kum & Go and charged with operating while under the influence. Police report that Hyatt drove his vehicle over a retaining wall in the Kum & Go parking lot and a subsequent chemical test showed his blood alcohol level at 0.137.
• On July 8, Clifford Byrd III of Muscatine was arrested on a charge of third-degree criminal mischief after allegedly punching out a window and causing other damage that amounted to $1,000 at the Presidential Inn in West Branch. Officers responding to the scene reported detecting a strong odor of alcohol coming from Byrd.
• On July 16, WBPD Sgt. Kory Hanna and West Branch Fire Department volunteers assisted Cedar County Sheriff’s Deputies and several other agencies in searching for Daniel Beeding, 32, of Wapello. According to Cedar County Sheriff, Deputy Orville Randolph received a complaint 2:30 p.m. July 16 that someone was knocking on doors in the area of Jackson Avenue and Jackson Road, acting strange and asking to use a cell phone. The officer found a vehicle parked in the Red Oak public hunting area, which then led to a “short chase,” whereupon the driver then fled on foot. Beeding was next seen knocking on doors in the 1300 block of Logan Avenue south of Tipton, then running into a corn field. He was found by Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Thomas McGuinty about two miles west of there. Beeding was then transported to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics by a Louisa County Deputy. Assisting agencies included Tipton police and fire departments, Johnson County Sheriff, Muscatine County Sheriff, Wilton police and fire departments, Bennett Fire Department, Clarence police and fire departments, Durant Police Department, Louisa County Sheriff, Iowa State Police Post 12, Marion Police Department, Mechanicsville Fire Department, Stanwood Fire Department, University of Iowa Police Department, Cedar County Co-op, Liquid Grow and the Cedar County Emergency Management Agency.
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