I’ve Been Subpoenaed

Earlier this year my VISA card was stolen. As this was not the main card that I used, I didn’t notice that it was gone until the credit card company called us about some suspicious charges. One of those charges was for over $4,000. Danny and I worked with the credit card company to detail what was and what was not a valid charge. They credited our account for everything that we did not purchase.

A couple of months after this took place, I received a voice mail message from a police officer asking if I was the Jennifer [middle initial] [last name] from whom a credit card had been stolen. Wouldn’t you know that there are at least three other Jennifers with the same middle initial and last name in our area. I called him back and informed him that I was this person. It turns out that my credit card was stolen from a local car wash by an 18 year old. He never gave me my card back after I paid for my gas and car wash. This young man then enticed a minor young man to make the felony purchases using my card. When the last attempt to use my card was denied, they burned it. They got caught because they discussed what they had done within earshot of a teacher. That teacher contacted the police officer who called me.

Danny and I met with this police officer at the police station later the next week. Although we were not at fault, it was a little nerve racking to be interviewed by a police officer. I would have been really nervous if Danny wasn’t there with me. He took all of our information and our contact at the credit card company. He said that he would be in contact with us as the case developed.

Our interview took place as long as two months ago. Until this week, we hadn’t heard a word from the police officer. We did receive a form from the Commonwealth asking us to state any loses we incurred and file that with the judge for compensation. As we did not incur any financial loss, we didn’t fill anything out. The form didn’t specify when the trial was, either.

When I got home from Las Vegas, we went to the backyard to play with the kids. The subpoena was rubber banded to the back door knob. Why it was left there, we’re not sure. It didn’t seem like the most likely place for us to find it. The Commonwealth requested that I appear in court on May 15th. If I hadn’t been so exhausted from my trip, I probably wouldn’t have been able to sleep that night. I know that I did nothing wrong, but the thought of giving testimony and being cross examined scares the daylights out of me. I watch too much Law and Order.

It’s a good thing that I didn’t lose any sleep over the subpoena because the Commonwealth’s Attorney called me at work on Thursday. She called me to let me know that I would not be needed that day. They were going straight to the defendant’s plea. I won’t be needed unless he pleads not guilty. I told the Commonwealth’s Attorney that Danny handled most of the aftermath of the theft. She set my mind at ease when she told me that my testimony would consist of claiming ownership of the stolen card and indicating that I had not given the defendant authorization to use the card. I think that I can handle that. If this case, which is against the 18 year old, goes to trial, it will be sometime in June or July. The Commonwealth’s Attorney did tell me that I would soon be receiving a subpoena for the minor’s hearing. This could prove to be an interesting summer.