YOUNGSTOWN Police capture ex-con in identity thefts

A probation official said William Davis preyed on people who share his name.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Authorities say William E. Davis has made a lot of money by cashing in on his name.
Davis, 39, whose listed address is in Warren, faces multiple counts of forgery, theft and identity theft in at least three Ohio counties. He had eluded authorities for the past two years until being arrested this week in western Ohio.
"He locked his keys in his car. That's how he finally got caught," said Keith Yauger of the Ohio Adult Parole Authority.
When police in Bowling Green arrived to help him get into his car, they ran a standard background check and discovered a warrant for Davis out of Mahoning County, Yauger said.
Long history
He said Davis has a long history of posing as other people and making unauthorized withdrawals from their bank accounts. Davis has been to prison at least twice for that type of activity.
In March 2000, Davis was placed on probation in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court for passing bad checks. The same month, he was sentenced to three years in prison for charges including forgery, passing bad checks and theft out of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
According to records from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Davis was released on shock probation Oct. 31, 2001. He was supposed to report to the parole authority upon his release, but he never showed up, Yauger said.
His failure to appear was considered a violation of his probation, and that's when authorities started looking for him, Yauger said. He said Davis had apparently been living in the Toledo area until his arrest this week.
Davis was in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Tuesday, where he waived a probable cause hearing on the probation violation. A hearing will be Jan. 9 to determine whether he actually did violate probation.
New felony charges
In the meantime, Yauger said Davis faces nine new felony charges and three misdemeanors, mostly from Trumbull County and western Ohio. He said Davis has stolen more than $15,000. The victims happen to share his first and last name but often have a different middle initial.
Yauger said Davis went to banks, where he either cashed bogus checks or withdrew money from accounts of other people named William Davis. He somehow managed to get the correct account numbers, which he gave bank personnel when asked, Yauger said.
"It was pretty amazing how he managed to do this," Yauger said.
He said Davis also faces probation violation charges in Trumbull County, in addition to the new charges.
bjackson@vindy.com