Katie Rose Vietzke, 26, told authorities she used her daughter's name and Social Security number to sign up for phone service from Verizon.
By STEVE THOMPSON
Published January 16, 2004
HUDSON - Authorities have arrested a 26-year-old woman on a charge of stealing the identity of her 3-year-old daughter.
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office says Katie Rose Vietzke used her 3-year-old daughter's name and Social Security number to open a phone account with Verizon.
When the girl's father, Vietzke's ex-boyfriend, began receiving collection notices on a $298.07 balance in his daughter's name, he contacted the Sheriff's Office in October, said spokesman Kevin Doll.
Questioned by a deputy, Vietzke admitted calling Verizon and signing up for phone service using her daughter's information, her arrest report said.
"The child is unable to give permission to use her name due to her age," the report noted.
It's not unusual for people to illegally use the information of someone else, such as someone who has died, Doll said.
"This is just one more twist on that," he said.
Vietzke, of 7300 Terrace Drive No. 20 in Hudson, was arrested Wednesday afternoon on a charge of identity theft.
She was being held in the county jail Thursday in lieu of $1,500 bail.
The Sheriff's Office is considering other charges against Vietzke, Doll said, though he declined to discuss them.
Doll didn't know which parent the 3-year-old girl has been living with.
- Steve Thompson covers crime in Pasco County. He can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6245, or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6245. His e-mail address is sthompson@sptimes.com
