DELAWARE, Ohio — A Sunbury woman is accused of using fake positive COVID tests in an attempt to avoid getting in trouble with her probation officer.
Dawn M. Powell, 53, was indicted by a Delaware County grand jury on two charges of forgery. According to court documents, she’s accused of using fake positive COVID-19 tests to defraud Adult Court Services on two different occasions.
The troubles that started the series of events go back to 2021, when Powell was charged with felony theft and misuse of credit cards. She was convicted and sentenced to 60 days in jail and two years of probation. From the time of sentencing, she was given five months to report to jail.
On May 2, 2022, the day she was to report to jail, Powell submitted a handwritten note asking for more time before she had to begin serving the sentence. That motion was denied, and she served her sentence.
In September 2022, she was accused of violating probation by missing Adult Court Services appointments, traveling out of state without permission and testing positive for methamphetamine. She was sentenced to an additional 60 days in jail.
On November 4, 2022, Powell was granted a furlough from the jail in order to travel for her father’s funeral. She was to return to the jail on November 7. She was charged with escape for failing to return to the jail. She pleaded guilty to attempted escape and was sentenced to two more years of probation.
According to court documents, Powell failed to report to Adult Court Services as instructed on February 3, 2023. Three days later, she was accused of giving false medical notes to her probation officer, namely the positive COVID test. Around the same time, she was also accused of trying to pass off toilet water as urine during a drug test.
A warrant for Powell’s arrest was issued in February.