NEWS

Mother charged with forging notes

Douglas Walker
dwalker@muncie.gannett.com
  • A local mother faces forgery charges over allegations she forged back-to-school notes from a doctor.
  • Deana L. Murphy, 47, already faced a misdemeanor charge over her son's repeated absences from school.

NEW CASTLE – A New Castle mother already faced a misdemeanor charge over her son's repeated absences from school.

Now she faces a pair of felony charges — with the potential to send her to prison — for allegedly altering and forging physicians' notes in a bid to make some of those absences excused.

Deana L. Murphy, 47, 3005 Broad St., is charged in with two counts of forgery, a Level 6 felony carrying a maximum 30-month prison term. She was arrested Friday and apparently released on Saturday after posting bond at the Henry County jail.

On Dec. 30, Murphy was charged with compulsory school attendance violation, a Class B misdemeanor carrying a maximum 180-day jail term.

According to court documents filed in that case, Murphy's 11-year-old son, a student at Tri Elementary School, had missed 19 days this school year as of Dec. 4.

School officials said they had left repeated messages at Murphy's home, but never received a response.

The forgery charges allege Murphy submitted one return-to school note issued for her son by a New Castle physician in early November, but had altered the date it indicated the boy should return to classes.

A second return-to-school note, submitted in late November, was entirely fabricated, authorities allege.

Circuit Court 3 Judge Bob Witham has set an initial hearing in the forgery case for Feb. 24. Murphy's trial on the misdemeanor charge is scheduled for April 21, also in Witham's court.

The New Castle woman was convicted of driving while intoxicated in 2012.

Contact news reporter Douglas Walker at (765) 213-5851. You can also follow him on Twitter @DouglasWalkerSP.