The Alexander City Outlook

New Site woman faces fraud charge

A New Site woman who collected money from local residents by claiming to be battling cancer while raising a child with a brain tumor was arrested for fraud Monday.

The New Site Police Department arrested Valerie Nichole McDaniel, 24, on a warrant for charitable fraud second degree Monday after a two-week investigation by the police department, according to a press release issued Tuesday by New Site Police Chief John McKelvey.

In early March 2010, McDaniel reported to local churches and other organizations in New Site that her 2-year-old daughter had a brain tumor. The local churches and organizations collected money and gift cards and donated the items to McDaniel, according to the statement.

Shortly after the collection of the donated items, McKelvey said a fire destroyed McDaniel’s home on Spivey Road in Clay County. Some of the same New Site community members came together and donated to McDaniel more money, household items, food and diapers. McDaniel then moved to the New Site area after the fire and made the claim she had cancer with less than a year to live. McKelvey said the “good-hearted citizens of the New Site area” then came together and donated even more money and items to help McDaniel.

McKelvey said the investigation revealed McDaniel’s claims regarding having cancer with less than a year to live, and her claims that her 2-year-old daughter has a brain tumor, are false. He said the investigation also revealed McDaniel was spending some of the money on narcotics.

McDaniel turned herself in to Tallapoosa County Jail Monday, where she remains on a $50,000 bond. McKelvey said her case is set for district court September 15, 2010 at 9 a.m.

McKelvey said she does not have any prior charges that he knows of.

“The big thing is I want people to see her picture and know what’s going on in order to prevent any more people from getting pulled into the scam,” McKelvey said.