A woman who said she was having serious money problems and applied for credit cards and a personal loan using her son’s information appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court/Criminal Division Monday.
Fifty-six-year-old Lisa Renee Sherrill who formerly lived in Mountain Home, but now lists an address in Hardy, waived arraignment and entered a not guilty plea to three counts of financial identity fraud that have been filed against her.
The waiver and plea were initially entered by an attorney from Ash Flat who indicated she had been hired by Sherrill. The same attorney filed a motion to withdraw from the case in late August,saying “irreconcilable differences” had arisen between attorney and client.
On Monday, the Public Defender’s office was appointed to represent Sherrill.
She is free on $10,000 bond.
The victim told investigators he had been contacted by a credit card company and told that he would be receiving a new card. He said he had not applied for any credit cards and checked to see what address had been given.
The address that had been given to the company was along John’s Drive in Mountain Home where his mother was then living.
The son was reported to have an active no contact order to keep his mother away from him.
He told investigators it appeared that his mother had used his personal information to apply for credit.
The victim obtained a credit report on himself and it showed a significant amount of unauthorized activity, including several requests for credit information from companies including American Express, Bank of America, Capital One and Discover Financial.
Lisa Sherill’s Mountain Home address and cellphone number were reported to have been given to the companies.
When investigators talked to Sherill, she said she was desperate for money and was facing a shut off of power to her home the week the interview took place.
She said she did not use any of the cards and canceled the request for a $15,000 personal loan from Discover. Sherill told investigators she knew that spending borrowed money “would only make things worse.”
The mother asked that investigators tell her son she was sorry and that she had done what she was accused of doing only because she was desperate.
She also said no other credit cards or loans had been applied for using her son’s information.
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