According to the Lawrence Police Department, on Wednesday, Aug. 3, detectives detained Billie Jean Peterson, 25, of Lawrence after having reason to believe that she had taken advantage of her coworkers, acquaintances, and a neighbor by stealing their personal information and making unauthorized charges totaling thousands of dollars to their accounts over a period of months.
According to LPD, Peterson was arrested and taken to the Douglas County Jail on 111 counts total, including 26 counts of fraudulent use of a credit card, 28 counts of illegal computer use, and 56 counts of identity theft. These 111 counts involve 18 victims who have provided solid circumstantial evidence, as well as additional witnesses.
A number of ladies who worked with Peterson at a nearby dental business shared notes about fraudulent charges that had been made on their cards in March, according to officials, and that is when the inquiry got started. LPD officers responded to the initial contact, received the reports, and forwarded them to investigators who conducted a more thorough investigation once the women phoned after gathering documentation and information from their banks.
According to LPD, a trail of evidence led to numerous interviews with prospective victims that went back as far as June 2021, and eventually enough information was gathered to obtain a search warrant. In April, the warrant’s execution turned up more leads and possible victims.
The Department observed that although Peterson worked for multiple dental practices during this time, coworkers were not the only victims of his offenses. It claimed that each clinic’s managers and staff had been supportive and cooperative during the study.
Additionally, according to the investigators, they have proactively contacted every person whose information they discovered throughout their investigation.
