Cheyenne Transient Accused of Giving Police Fake Insurance Card

A 34-year-old Cheyenne transient is facing a felony charge after reportedly giving police a fake insurance card during a traffic stop.

Unreadable Bill of Sale

According to a booking sheet, a police officer stopped Jessica Dawn Tjaden at West 15th Street and O'Neil Avenue at 5:09 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, for having an unreadable bill of sale.

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When asked for her driver's license and insurance, Tjaden reportedly gave the officer her driver's license and a small insurance card. The officer says the bill of sale was signed on April 8, and listed Tjaden as the owner.

The officer says when she returned to her patrol vehicle and looked at Tjaden's insurance card, she noticed the writing was blurry and small, the vehicle make and model were not capitalized, and there was no agent contact information on it.

The officer says when she asked Tjaden who her insurance agent was, Tjaden told her she didn't know, and when she asked Tjaden if the insurance card was fake, Tjaden said, "No." The officer then gave Tjaden a citation for no insurance.

Inactive Policy

Around 6 p.m., the officer says she contacted AARP and gave them the policy number on Tjaden's insurance card and was told that the policy hadn't been active since 2021, and that Tjaden didn't have an active account.

At 7:13 p.m., the officer says she contacted Tjaden at the same location and arrested her. She says Tjaden told her a "friend" gave her the insurance card.

Tjaden Hit With Felony Forgery Charge

Tjaden was subsequently charged with felony forgery - altering, a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison, up to a $10,000 fine, or both.

She was also charged with expired or improper registration, a misdemeanor.

Bond Set at $1K Cash

Tjaden made her initial appearance in Laramie County Circuit Court on Thursday, April 24, during which her bond was set at $1,000 cash and her preliminary hearing was scheduled for Friday, May 2, at 11 a.m.

Please remember that all suspects are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.