Williamsburg women accused of trying to extort disabled veteran

Whitley County Sheriff’s deputies arrested two Williamsburg women for extortion Monday afternoon following an undercover sting investigation.

Deputies charged Shonda R. Peace 23, of Powers Hollow Road, and Vonda L. Mcgee, 49, of Rabbit Run Road, with theft by extortion. Peace was also charged with impersonating a peace officer.

Sheriff Colan Harrell said the two suspects are accused of extorting a total of $1,000 on two different occasions starting Friday from Tommy Hamblin, a 63-year-old disabled veteran. One of the suspects is also accused of pretending to be with the sheriff’s department.

The extortion allegations stem from a disagreement that one of the suspects had with the victim that resulted in a physical altercation, Harrell said.

The two were acquainted.

“She had a friend calling him, who was impersonating someone from the sheriff’s department, and related they were going to try and settle the damage out of court for the injuries she had obtained,” Harrell said.

The suspects were able to get by with the extortion twice, Harrell said.

Harrell said the victim’s brother contacted him over the weekend, and that Hamblin contacted police Monday when the suspects tried to extort another $300 from him.

Chief Deputy K.Y. Fuson and Capt. Greg Pace immediately started an investigation that culminated with the two arrests about 3:15 p.m. Monday, Harrell said.

“At several different times during the undercover investigation, the suspects referred to their boss being the ‘sheriff,’ and would even answer their residential phone by saying, ‘sheriff’s department,’” , Sgt. Shawn Jackson said in a press release.

As the undercover investigation wrapped up, the two were attempting to extort money from the victim once again by saying they were going to issue a “lifetime EPO” on his behalf for another amount of cash, Jackson said.

Police set up surveillance and obtained various recordings during the course of the investigation, Harrell said.

“As the suspect arrived at the victim’s residence to collect the money for the bogus EPO, Chief Deputy K.Y. Fuson was waiting as well with the victim,” Jackson wrote. “Chief Fuson immediately took the first suspect into custody. The second suspect was arrested a short time later at another residence in the community.”

The suspects and the victim both reside in the Patterson Creek community near Highway 904.

Mcgee was also charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol/drugs, no insurance, and failure to produce insurance card.

Peace allegedly admitted to the charges, according to her arrest citation.

The two suspects were arrested without incident, and lodged in the Whitley County Detention Center.

Peace is being held in lieu of a $15,000 cash bond, and Mcgee is being held in lieu of a $7,500 cash bond.

Harrell, who has worked in law enforcement for over 40 years, said that theft by extortion cases are very rare, but that it happens often enough that there are state statutes that specifically deal with it.”

Fuson is continuing the investigation, and was assisted at the scene by Pace and Deputy Todd Shelley. The case will be presented to a Whitley County Grand Jury.