Sheriff: Woman charged with identity theft; deputies searching for second suspect

Posted on by Mike Fuhrman

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Iredell County Sheriff’s Office personnel have arrested one suspect and are searching for a second individual in connection with an identity theft.

Preston Kovanda
Mariah Coley

Sheriff Darren Campbell announced the arrest of Mariah Cynthia Coley, 23, of Statesville in a news release on Friday.

Deputies are searching for Preston Levi Kovanda, 31, also of Statesville, in connection with the theft and misuse of a debit card between April 17 and April 20, according to the news release.

The stolen debit card was used without the owner’s permission multiple times, resulting in fraudulent financial transactions, Campbell said.

Economic Crimes Unit Detectives verified the card’s usage at various businesses and obtained evidence confirming the card was used without the permission of the owner, according to the news release.

Detectives obtained multiple statements from witnesses at the businesses and identified the suspects as Coley and Kovanda, Campbell said.

Coley was located and arrested on Monday, May 4. She was taken to the Iredell County Detention Center, where she was served with six counts of felony identity theft. Magistrate Chambers issued a $5,000 secured bond for these charges.

The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office has outstanding arrest warrants for Kovanda for six counts of felony identity Theft. Anyone with information on Kovanda’s location is asked to call Detective Craig Scannella at 704-878-3180 or call Crime Stoppers at 704-662-1340.