Paducah man arrested after police say he forged military documents to avoid traffic citations | Crime

PADUCAH, KY (KFVS) - The Paducah Police Department says a Paducah man was arrested Monday, December 3 after he tried to use a forged military document to get out of several traffic citations.

Curtis M. Hunt, 38, was charged with second degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and tampering with physical evidence.

According to police, on Nov. 5 Hunt reported to them that he had been arrested for failing to appear in court on traffic charges. He said someone else apparently had used his identity because the original traffic citations were issued on July 23, 2011. Police say he provided the officer with a DD-214, a military certificate of release or discharge from active duty, showing that he was in Afghanistan on that date.

The officer said he became suspicious because parts of the DD-214 were blurry and hard to read. He said it showed that Hunt had been awarded the Air Force Cross, the second-highest award given by the U.S. Air Force. It also listed incorrect dates for service during Operation Desert Storm, Operation Desert Shield and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The officer investigated and found a Kentucky ID card issued to Hunt on March 16, 2011, when Hunt was allegedly in Afghanistan. He said he also found a dispatch record that showed Hunt had used his cell phone to report an automobile accident in Paducah on June 5, 2011.

Police say the officer then contacted a detective with Security Forces Investigations at Scott Air Force Base, who confirmed there is no record of military service for Hunt.

Hunt was arrested and booked into the McCracken County Regional Jail.

Copyright 2012 KFVS. All rights reserved.