Man tries to dupe Magistrate Court
By Elizabeth Billips Associate Editor

Burke County's Magistrate Court is the latest on the growing list of identity fraud victims.

The alleged perpetrator? A Girard resident who got hold of a refund check.

According to Waynesboro police investigator Claude Wade, arrest warrants were issued for Donald Pete Hopkins Jr. for three felony counts of identity fraud.

The fraud dates back to early September, not long after Hopkins' girlfriend recieved a $13 refund check from the magistrate office.

Rather than cashing the check, Hopkins used the account and routing numbers to pay more than $300 worth of bills over the telephone.

"This is a sure sign that anybody can join the identity theft club," investigator Wade said, calling for a tougher system of checks and balances to protect consumers.

Hopkins, who is doing temp work in Florida, agreed to turn himself in last week but never complied, investigators said.

This isn't Hopkins' first brush with the law. In the past couple of years, he's been arrested on both drug and forgery charges.