On May 28, 2024, Heather Lankford, 49, of Douglas, was arrested and charged with insurance fraud after she allegedly took out an insurance policy on her ex-husband without his knowledge, an action that caused her ex to fear for his safety.
According to a report from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, on May 7, 2024, Lankford’s ex went to the CCSO and spoke with a detective after he learned about the insurance policy. The two had recently gone through what the report calls a “tumultuous” divorce. The insurance letter had originally been sent to a Chester Avenue address, which is where Lankford was living at the time of the report. Her ex-husband stated that he was living at a different address and had recently had his mail forwarded to his new address. The report states that he believed Lankford was the intended recipient of the letter; the email address referenced in the letter was one he recognized that Lankford had used in the past.
When her ex made the report, he also presented documentation alleging that she had used his personal information to file a tax return and get a Visa credit card, which had a $12.63 charge on it when the initial report was made. The CCSO report adds that her ex opted not to press charges regarding the tax return and Visa card incident. However, the report says, Lankford has refused to stop using his personal information.
Last week, Lankford was arrested and charged with one count of insurance fraud. She was booked into the Coffee County Jail and later released.