Man accused of stealing 3-year-old's identity

[November 26, 2008]  GRAHAM, N.C. (AP) -- Authorities say a North Carolina man used a Social Security number belonging to a 3-year-old girl to sign up for telephone and natural gas service. The News and Record of Greensboro reported Tuesday that 44-year-old Michael John Maris of Mebane was charged with one count of identity theft and two counts of obtaining property by false pretense.

Alamance County sheriff's officials said the child's grandmother, Linda Raker, contacted authorities after a collection agency began looking for unpaid utility bills in her granddaughter's name.

The sheriff's office said the suspect is related to Raker, but did not disclose the relationship.

Maris was being held Tuesday on $5,000 bond at the Alamance County jail. Court records didn't show that he had an attorney.

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Information from: News & Record, http://www.news-record.com/

[Associated Press]

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