Three men and one woman are behind bars this week after they allegedly tried to use doctored property records to bail two of their number out of jail.
The office of Alamance County’s sheriff has identified the central figure in this suspected plot as Christopher Lee Fogleman – a 43-year-old white male of 3436 Pickett Road, Lot 6, Burlington.
According to court records, Fogleman had twice presented the local court system with an altered deed for property that he and his wife own at 8060 Bethel South Fork Road in Snow Camp. Fogleman had allegedly tweaked these records digitally in order to portray himself as the sole owner of this property before he offered it up as a surety to obtain bonds for two individuals.
According to the sheriff’s office, Fogleman had originally presented this forged document in February to further an initially successful bid to facilitate the release of Brian Austin Copeland.
A 23-year-old white male of 170 Graves Road, Graham, Copeland had been in jail on charges of felonious restraint and negligent child abuse before he was sprung thanks to Fogleman’s alleged machinations.
According to the sheriff’s office, Fogleman managed to post $90,000 in bonds on Copeland’s behalf with the connivance of the defendant’s father – 44-year-old Brian Scott Copeland, who also hails from 170 Graves Road. The younger Copeland was released based on this falsified surety on February 19 – only to find himself back in custody on March 11 after the discovery of Fogleman’s apparent deceit.
Fogleman allegedly resubmitted the same falsified deed on March 8 in obtain another bond on behalf of Jacqueline Aaron Tart. A 26-year-old white female who shares the same home address as the two Copelands, Tart had been in jail on a probation violation at the time of Fogleman’s attempted intervention. This time, however, a magistrate reportedly rejected the gesture due to the newfound suspicions about Fogleman’s deed.
According to the sheriff’s office, investigators got their first inkling that there was something dodgy about this property record on February 25. It wasn’t until March 10 that they obtained arrest warrants for most of the alleged conspirators.
The sheriff’s office notes that Tart and the two Copelands have each been charged with felony-level conspiracy for their apparent parts in the plot to obtain ill-gotten “get out of jail free” cards. Brian Austin Copeland has also incurred a misdemeanor for escaping from jail, and has seen his previous bond upped by an additional $10,000 in light of the new charges. According to the sheriff’s office, both Tart and Brian Austin Copeland remain incarcerated, while Brian Scott Copeland has been released on a $5,000 bond.
Meanwhile, Fogleman currently faces seven felony offenses for this alleged role as the prime mover in this conspiracy. His charges include one count for obstruction of justice as well as two counts, apiece, of conspiracy, accessing government computers in an attempt to defraud, and forging a deed or a will.
According to the sheriff’s office, Fogleman has been released from jail on a $5,000 bond.
