Police Arrest Man Accused Of Stealing Identity Of 92-Year-Old Woman

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AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - Police in Aurora have arrested a man wanted for identity theft and forgery in at least two communities.

Investigators in Arapahoe County say one of John Nickson Beers' victims was a 92-year-old woman. Beers, 53, of Westminster, also faces charges in Boulder.

John Nickson Beers (credit: Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office)

Early this month CBS4's Tom Mustin talked with Barbara Ballerino. The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office says the suspect stole the identity of her 92-year-old mother. Ballerino pays her mother's bills and wrote checks that she puts in a mailbox. She started getting canceled checks from places she didn't shop.

In all the thief wrote $3,000 worth of checks on the account.

Pictures of the mail theft, fraud suspect (credit: Arapahoe County)

"I was heartbroken. My mother is in assisted living. She didn't do anything wrong and she didn't deserve this," Ballerino told Mustin.

Ballerino now mails the checks at the post office.

Beers is currently being held at the Arapahoe County Detention Facility. He has a 15-page rap sheet with a variety of crimes.

The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office said Beers was found thanks to tips from the community and other law enforcement agencies.