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Woman gets prison for taking twin sister’s ID

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By Nancy Bowman, Contributing Writer 11:22 PM Monday, March 29, 2010

TROY — A Sidney woman is headed to the Ohio Reformatory for Women for six months for identity theft after she gave Piqua police her twin sister’s name and Social Security number in an attempt to get out of trouble.

Mandy Mae Hicks, 19, was led from a Miami County courtroom in tears Monday, March 29, after a judge said a history of theft-related convictions beginning at age 15 had caught up with her.

Police said Hicks gave officers investigating an alleged theft Oct. 26 at Walmart the name of her twin.

The ruse was discovered when an officer who arrived on scene recognized Hicks from a previous encounter, police said.

Hicks pleaded no contest in Common Pleas Court on a felony identity theft charge and was found guilty in February. She was free on bond pending Monday’s sentencing hearing.

Before Judge Robert Lindeman passed sentence, she told him she had been in and out of a hospital because of a problem pregnancy since early March. Hicks offered to apologize.

Lindeman pointed out that Hicks, the mother of a young child, had been on probation in Shelby County 21 days at the time of the identity theft charge.

“What kind of mother are you? ... Where is your head?” he asked her.

Lindeman said Hicks had a long juvenile record and since becoming an adult had been convicted of passing bad checks, theft and the unauthorized use of property.

As part of a plea deal, prosecutors did not object to Lindeman sentencing her to community control. They made no other statement at sentencing.

“I can’t ignore your prior behavior. ... It is a slap in the face to the criminal justice system,” Lindeman said.

Hicks could have received up to a year in prison, according to state sentencing guidelines.

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