A Freedom Township couple whose house was burglarized in April is accused of providing state troopers an exaggerated list of what was stolen to make an inflated insurance claim - then later admitting it because they felt bad for lying, police said.
Douglas Allen Beaumont, 51, and Wendy Kay Beaumont, 44, are each charged with filing a false report of a felony and insurance fraud, Washtenaw County court records show.
The Beaumonts were arraigned Tuesday and were released on personal recognizance bonds. They could not be reached for comment by phone Thursday afternoon.
On April 5, Michigan State police responded to a 4:30 p.m. report of a burglary at the couple's Waters Road home, Lt. Wynonia Sturdivant said. Troopers discovered someone attempted to break in through the front door, ultimately getting inside through a side door, Sturdivant said. The break-in occurred between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., police said. So far, no arrests have been made.
The Beaumonts provided a list to troopers of what was stolen to move forward with an insurance claim, Sturdivant said. According to Sturdivant, the couple put a number of items on the list that were not stolen, but she did not have specifics.
Within about 10 days of the burglary, the couple contacted state troopers, admitted they exaggerated their claim and said they weren't happy with themselves for lying, Sturdivant said.
If convicted, the couple faces up to eight years in prison. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 5.
Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and e-mail at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
Get the Ann Arbor RSS Feed
AnnArbor.com