DePauw student's trial continued

Thursday, February 12, 2009

The jury trial of a DePauw student facing 10 felony charges has been continued.

Brittany E. Schmall, 21, of Portage, Mich., was set to go to trial on Feb. 24, but at the request if her attorney, Sidney Tongret of Greencastle, that date has been pushed back to May 5.

Schmall is facing one count of Class D felony theft and nine counts of Class D felony fraud in connection with the alleged theft and several unauthorized uses of a credit card. Each charge could net Schmall three years in jail.

A warrant for Schmall's arrest was issued on Sept. 25, 2007. She first appeared in Putnam County Superior Court on Nov. 24. She pled not guilty to all charges, and she was released from jail on her own recognizance.

The card Schmall is accused of using fraudulently was issued in the name of the father of one of Schmall's sorority sisters at Alpha Chi Omega and was reported stolen on April 13, 2007. The victim alleges the card was taken from her room at the sorority house, court documents said.

The unauthorized charges on the victim's card were made between Feb. 2, 2007 and March 22, 2007 at several shops and stores, including Wal-Mart, Ann Taylor Loft, Vera Bradley, Old Navy, Victoria's Secret, Bright Futures, Fine Print Bookstore and Treasures on the Square. Items purchased included clothing, jewelry, paper products and food.

Several of Schmall's sorority sisters told authorities that Schmall had a history of taking things in the house that didn't belong to her, including clothing, jewelry and money, court documents said. One sister said she believes Schmall also used her car without permission on one occasion.

Schmall left DePauw in the spring of 2007 and returned to her parents' home in Portage, Mich., court documents said. Matt Demmings of the DePauw Office of Public Safety spoke to Schmall by phone on April 19, 2007, and he told Schmall she needed to meet with him in regard to the investigation when she returned to campus.

Schmall told Demmings she was undergoing treatment for depression, court documents said.

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  • Double top secret probation that gets my vote for comment of the year! Thats awesome

    -- Posted by 1stamendrights on Wed, Feb 18, 2009, at 1:20 PM
  • She actually resigned from/was kicked out of the sorority after the incident. I don't think depression will cut it in this case...

    -- Posted by vickisouthard on Wed, Feb 25, 2009, at 5:58 PM
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