An Iola woman is accused of giving a patrol officer somebody else’s name when he found her car in a ditch.
Angela M. Guyant, 30, is charged with two counts of identity theft to avoid penalty, two counts of obstructing an officer, two counts of misdemeanor bail jumping and one count of operating after revocation. She was also cited for failure to keep a vehicle under control.
On the night of Jan. 26, Deputy Patrick McClone was northbound on County Trunk J in rural Iola responding to a domestic complaint when he observed a car in the ditch. He stopped and spoke to the driver. There were also children in the car, and the driver said she had contacted their grandparents who were on their way to help.
According to the criminal complaint, the driver identified herself as Nicole L. (Name withheld). She said she did not have her driver’s license with her, and when McClone conducted a records search of the name, it came back that she had moved out of state.
McClone then told the driver he needed to continue toward the original call and told her to call the sheriff’s office if she needed any further assistance.
As he drove away, McClone looked up the vehicle’s license plate and learned that the vehicle was registered to Dale Tankersley, who was serving a two-year prison sentence. He also discovered that another deputy had made contact with a driver of that vehicle who identified herself as Guyant.
When he checked computer records on Guyant, McClone found a photo of her, and she looked like the woman he had just encountered. He also noticed distinctive tatoos on both sides of her neck.
McClone turned around and drove back to the car. He again asked her who she was and she again responded she was Nicole L., the complaint says.
McClone then asked her to pull her sweatshirt down from her neck so he could see her tatoos, at which point Guyant told him her real name.
Court records indicate Guyant has 12 prior convictions for operating after her license was revoked.
Guyant was charged in Waupaca County with operating after revocation (OAR) on Oct. 14, 2014, and released on a $500 signature bond.
On Jan. 21, five days before her encounter with Deputy McClone, she was charged with OAR in Waupaca County and released on a $1,000 signature bond.
There are also 2015 charges of OAR, obstructing an officer and misdemeanor bail jumping charges against her in Winnebago County and of OAR, identity theft and bail jumping in Portage County.