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November 24, 2008

Woman confesses to hoax on "armed robbery," police say

Jamie Jones

When is an armed robbery not an armed robbery?

When it’s a “hoax.”

The Dalton Police Department has arrested Ashley Joubert, 20, of 105 Emerald Court, Chatsworth, for staging an armed robbery on Nov. 7 at North Georgia Cellular (AT&T; Wireless) at 1231 Cleveland Highway. Joubert was arrested after she turned herself in and confessed to the hoax, officials said. She is charged with making false statements, making a false report of a crime and theft by taking. Police spokesman Bruce Frazier said Joubert, at the time a store employee, acted alone and there are no other suspects.

“Basically it was just good, thorough interviews by our detectives,” Frazier said. “They spotted some inconsistencies in her story and that kind of tipped them off that something might be wrong. They basically just chased it down.”

Frazier did not know exactly how much money Joubert took, but said it was less than $1,000. He did not know if Joubert gave a reason for the hoax.

“I think it had to do with just needing money, but I’m not even sure what the precise reason is,” he said.

On Nov. 7 shortly before 9 a.m., police responded to a report of an armed robbery at North Georgia Cellular. There, officers found Joubert tied to a chair. She told them three Hispanic males robbed the store. After police investigated the crime scene, checked video from surveillance cameras from surrounding stores and interviewed Joubert, she confessed to stealing money from the store and staging the scene. North Georgia Cellular surveillance cameras were not operating. Joubert was able to tie herself to the chair because she is double jointed, Frazier said.

Joubert was released on a $10,000 bond. The Daily Citizen was unable to locate a phone number for her.

Under Georgia law, false statements carries prison time of between one and five years, theft by taking between one and 10 years and false report of a crime no more than one year. The time can vary depending on sentencing or plea agreements.

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