SMITHVILLE – A woman has been arrested in connection with an apparent fraud related to Smithville disaster relief.

Authorities arrested Pamela Thompson, 53, of Itawamba County for allegedly attempting to fraudulently claim disaster relief. Investigators with the Consumer Protection Division of the state attorney general’s office and Monroe County Sheriff’s Department made the arrest.

Thompson, who lives outside the Smithville city limits at 487 Highway 25 South, was charged with two counts of fraudulent use of identity.

Authorities say she obtained groceries from the United Way disaster relief center in Smithville after allegedly telling people she needed some items for a close relative whose home was destroyed in the storm.

Investigators say Thompson was arrested after the man’s wife came to claim items for the family.

She was being held in the Monroe County Jail on Wednesday and faces a $5,000 fine and five years behind bars for each count. The penalty doubles upon a second conviction.

Contact Danza Johnson at (662) 678-1583 or danza.johnson@journalinc.com.

Fraud contact

- Anyone suspecting storm-related fraud should call Monroe County Sheriff Andy Hood at (662) 315-4399 or the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s Office at (800) 281-4418.