A mother and son are facing allegations they made up a story about a relative who was in a coma in order to steal money from a Bradford man.
Tuesday L. Hale, 51, of 41 Main St., Apt. 309, Bradford, was arraigned Tuesday before District Judge Dominic Cercone; meanwhile, Hale’s son, Tate W. Hallock, 24, of Bradford, had yet to be arraigned as of press time, court records indicate.
Hallock faces 22 charges: one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud, five counts of access device fraud and 15 counts of attempted access device fraud, all third-degree felonies; and one count of receiving stolen property, a third-degree misdemeanor, court records stated.
Hale faces five charges: conspiracy to commit access device fraud, a third-degree felony; receiving stolen property and three counts of access device fraud, all first-degree misdemeanors.
According to the criminal complaint, in February, Richard Luther Sr. hired Hale to clean his house; she soon started bringing Hallock with her when she came to clean.
Hale and Hallock began to tell Luther that Hale had a daughter who in a coma in Erie due to a serious car accident, and they said they needed money to travel back and forth. They also said Hallock needed gas money to get to work.
On several occasions in February and March, Luther gave the pair money, court records indicated.
“The requests for more money became more frequent and they were at all hours of the night such as 2 a.m. or 4 a.m.,” the complaint stated. “The requests increased as Hale and Hallock now told Luther Sr. the daughter had died and they needed help with funeral expenses.”
In total, Luther gave $1,640 to Hallock and $550 to Hale, court records stated.
Assistant Chief Michael Ward told Luther that the stories were not true.
“I personally know Tuesday Hale and Tate Hallock and there is no daughter or sister in the family,” Ward stated in the complaint. “This was a fabricated lie to intentionally deceive him and take advantage of him for money.”
Additionally, the pair allegedly made several withdrawals from Luther’s bank account using his ATM card without permission. Hale made three withdrawals totaling $260, Hallock made five withdrawals totaling $780 and Hallock made 15 other attempts, according to court records.
Hale is free on $2,500 unsecured bail, and she is scheduled to appear in Central Court on July 19.
