Lethbridge woman accused of identity fraud released on bail

LETHBRIDGE – A 28-year-old Lethbridge woman has been released on $500 cash bail, as she faces a number of fraud charges.

The Crown prosecutor consented to the release of Samantha Joy Ellison Monday morning, Jan. 29. As part of her release conditions, she is not allowed to be in a private vehicle without the registered owner.

The charges arose on Jan. 4, when a Lethbridge Police Service patrol officer observed a stolen license plate on a Jeep parked in a hotel lot along the 1000 block of Mayor Magrath Drive South.

An investigation and the subsequent search of a hotel room, resulted in police recovering identity documents belonging to four people, as well as stolen credit and debit cards. Police also found that a local woman’s identity had been used to obtain a loan and purchase a $40,000 Jeep in Edmonton.