Stephanie Sifuentes

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DOBSON — A 37-year-old Dobson woman has been arrested in connection with the theft of a Texas woman’s identity following an investigation into the reported forgery of a vehicle title.

According to Sheriff Graham Atkinson, Stephanie Ann Sifuentes, of 1719 Stony Knoll Road, allegedly forged a vehicle title to transfer ownership of a car belonging to a local woman who was involved in a domestic dispute.

“When detectives began investigating, they discovered the name used on the vehicle title was Dora Cardenas, and that Cardenas, who had lived in Surry County, had been a resident of Texas for more than six years,” Atkinson said.

Police believe Sifuentes not only used Cardenas’ name to register the vehicle, but also obtained a driver’s license in her name, and had registered three other vehicles in Cardenas’ name, complete with titles and registration.

“She has lived with two identities for about six years, and has used whichever ID suited her purposes to stay out of trouble,” Atkinson said.

The investigation is continuing, and Atkinson said police have not yet determined whether Sifuentes used the other identity for other purposes.

Sifuentes, who had a previous warrant charging her with failure to appear in court, has been charged with three counts of altering a title, three counts of obtaining a false license and one count of identity theft.

She is free on bond, according to police.

Atkinson said the state DMV License and Theft Bureau was “heavily involved” in the investigation.

Reach Keith Strange at kstrange@civitasmedia.com or 719-1929.