Mitchell

-

Teenager charged with pretending to be cheerleader in order to raise money

BY BILL FREEHLING

Date published: 5/25/2007

BY BILL FREEHLING

A July 30 trial is set for a woman accused of pretending to be a high school cheerleader to get donations in Spotsylvania County.

A teenager claiming to be the head cheerleader at Riverbend High School was collecting money in the Fawn Lake subdivision last Friday, according to the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office.

The young woman is accused of similar misconduct in Fairfax County earlier this month, according to a news release from the Fairfax County Police Department.

She went door-to-door in Fawn Lake collecting donations for an alleged team trip, police say. Four homeowners gave her checks.

A resident called Fawn Lake security, which called the Sheriff's Office last Friday afternoon. Riverbend High officials told authorities that the teen wasn't a student.

Spotsylvania sheriff's Deputy David Fischer found the teenager walking through Fawn Lake collecting donations about 3:15 p.m. last Friday. Fischer found her with several checks from homeowners, police say.

Tasha Marie Mitchell, a 19-year-old with no fixed address, was charged with four misdemeanor counts of obtaining money under false pretenses, police say. She was being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail pending the trial.

Mitchell faces six counts of obtaining money under false pretenses in Fairfax County, authorities say.

According to a Fairfax County news release, Mitchell solicited money from residents in the Great Falls area May 11 without a license. She's accused of falsely telling residents that she was collecting money for cancer victims and a cheerleading group.

She was taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center but was released pending a June 27 trial.

Read more stories about Spotsylvania
Date published: 5/25/2007