Woman charged with ID theft
July 3, 2008 · Updated 11:55 AM
The former wife of an Oak Harbor city councilman has been accused once again of stealing someones identity, according to court documents.
Prosecutors charged Elizabeth Ruth, formerly Elizabeth Gerber, in Island County Superior Court July 5 with identity theft in the first degree and forgery.
She pleaded not guilty July 16.
In an earlier case, Ruth pleaded guilty to first-degree identity theft in the same court less than four years ago. Her arrest led to her ex-husband, Councilman Eric Gerber, pulling out of a run for mayor a couple of weeks before the primary.
In the current case, Ruth was accused of opening two accounts at Navy Federal Credit Union with different Social Security numbers, dates of birth and addresses, according to a report by Oak Harbor Police Detective Carl Seim. She deposited three fraudulent checks resulting in a loss of $2,420 to the bank, Seim wrote.
The report states that the checks were computer generated using blank check forms which can be bought at any office supply store.
If convicted of the charges, Ruth could face from a year to a year and two months in prison under the standard sentencing range.
Ruth could not be reached for comment.
You can reach News-Times reporter Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewstimes.com or call 675-6611.
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