Posted 10:51 pm Wednesday, October 17, 2012
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Troup man gets 25 years for document tampering
Staff Reports
Michael Shane Haskins, 43, of Troup, was sentenced to 25 years in prison Monday for charges of tampering with a government document and fraudulent use or possession of identifying information.
Haskins was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Bridget Bateman. Judge Mark Calhoon of the Third Judicial District Court imposed the sentence after Haskins pleaded guilty to the offenses.
Haskins was indicted by a Henderson County grand jury after Gun Barrel City Officer Jesse Ison performed a traffic stop on Haskins' vehicle in September 2011.
Ison obtained consent to search Haskins' vehicle, and found several Texas Department of Public Safety ID cards that had been tampered with to include a photograph of Haskins and other individuals' names and information, including birthdates and addresses, according to a prepared statement from the Henderson County District Attorney's Office.
Ison also located more than 50 blank checks containing different bank account information for numerous individuals, according to the statement. These individuals were found to be living in Cherokee County where their checks and identifying information had been originally stolen.
Haskins has an extensive criminal history, including drug and gun possession convictions. Haskins also has fraud charges pending in Rusk County, according to the statement.
District Attorney Scott McKee credited the hard work of the Gun Barrel City Police Department in locating and confiscating all the victims' financial and identifying information so that it could be returned to them.
"Identity theft crimes are extremely harmful to the victims, and the arrest and prosecution of the criminals who perpetrate these crimes is a top priority for my office," McKee said in the statement.
