Charity Johnson, 34, Posed as 15-Year-Old High School Student; Police Struggle to Determine Why
A 34-year-old woman posing as a 15-year-old high school student in East Texas has been arrested for giving false information to police. Police have not released a motive for her actions, and those who tried to help the "teen" expressed their concern about her actions and the ramifications they could have on other teenagers she interacted with.
Tamica Lincoln was living with 34-year-old Charity Johnson, who claimed to be a 15-year-old, down-and-out teenager. Lincoln wanted to help the teen but discovered the truth about Johnson's past and called the police to have her removed from her property. When police arrived, Johnson gave them the false name "Charite Stevens" and said she was born in 1997.
Johnson was taken to the Gregg County Jail for trespassing and giving false information to police. She was still there on Wednesday, being held on $500 bond.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"She acted like a 15, 16-year-old," Stuart Newlin, Principal at New Life Christian School were Johnson was a student, told the Associated Press. "She was an attentive student, respectful, did her homework. The why? Nobody seems to know why."
Officer Debra Stiles told NBC News that authorities could find no background warrants or legal trouble on Johnson, leading to the mystery of why she would pose as a teenager.
"We did not find any warrants – which would be the norm – but in this case we didn't find any," Stiles said. "We don't know why she did this, and I can't speculate as to what in the world her reason was."
Also confused is the woman who took her in and tried to be a positive role model for the woman she thought was a 15-year-old girl.
"I just don't understand why she did it," Lincoln told KLTV. "Why put yourself and others at risk to do something like this? I have deep concerns about her being who we don't know she is, and then she's out there at the school."
