 |
|
Repossession
News
Car burning heats up to insurance
fraud
A chemistry teacher who was at least
three months behind on her car payments gave passing grades to two failing
students who stole and burned her car so she could collect insurance
money, a fire investigator said.
Aldine Senior High School teacher Tramesha Lashon Fox, 32, was charged
with insurance fraud and arson, and the two students were charged with
arson.
Roger Luna, 18, and Darwin Arias, 17, had been failing Fox's class up to
their final exam. But Arias received a 90 and Luna an 80, grades high
enough for them to pass the semester, said senior fire investigator Dustin
Deutsch of the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office.
Luna was arrested Tuesday. Bail was set at $10,000 and he was expected to
be arraigned on Thursday, said Lt. John Martin, spokeswoman for the Harris
County Sheriff's Department.
Neither Fox nor Arias was in custody early Wednesday afternoon, and they
could not immediately be reached for comment. No phone listings could be
found.
The teens initially thought her scheme was a joke, but Fox continued to
pursue them, Deutsch said. On May 27, the last day of school, the students
took the unlocked 2003 Chevrolet Malibu from a shopping mall, drove it to
a wooded area and set it on fire, he said.
Fox reported the theft that day, after already having bought a 2005 Toyota
Corolla, investigators said. She owed about $20,000 on the Chevrolet and
had been facing repossession, Deutsch said.
Aldine Independent School District officials said Fox remained employed
while they waited to see the fire marshal's report. The students will
probably be placed in an alternative school when they return, depending on
what happens to them in court, school officials said.
Return to Repossession News |
