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High school student faces charges: He�s 25 Medford man registered in GED program as 17-year-old at South By Jill Briskey A 25-year-old Medford man pretending to be a 17-year-old high school student blew his cover last week when he had a beer at a pizza parlor. According to Medford Police Lt. Tim George, Daniel Charles Ray Hanson enrolled himself in South Medford High School�s GED program Jan. 10, allegedly pretending to be a homeless teen down on his luck. When a suspicious teacher spotted Hanson drinking beer at a pizza parlor after a basketball game last week, school officials contacted the School Resource Officer, Lt. Phil Steigleder, about the situation. After an investigation, officers arrested Hanson Friday around 10:15 a.m. at the high school. He was charged with two counts of first degree forgery and two counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument. Attempts to contact several South Medford High School officials were unsuccessful Friday. Hanson also was charged with a probation violation for first-degree theft and first-degree forgery stemming from an case in Central Point last October. He was released Tuesday on the condition that he has no contact with South Medford High School. An arraignment is scheduled Feb. 6 at 8:55 a.m. George said the forgery charges stem from the discovery of an application for a social security card filled out with false information and for registering at South Medford High School � creating a public record � using false information. In a probable cause affidavit, Steigleder said Hanson claimed to come from a tragic background. "(The) suspect claimed he had no family, as (his) mother died and needed assistance," Steigleder stated. "He had a sad story about how he was homeless," George said. During his enrollment, school officials reportedly were helping Hanson to apply for food stamps. George said they were attempting to provide Hanson with county-funded housing and a school organization was going to donate clothing for him. Hanson told Medford police he was a transient. Court records show he lives at 687 Ross Lane. Police do not know where Hanson attended school, or the reasoning behind his deception. In addition to the Social Security application and school record, police said Hanson had applied for a Master Card using his real date of birth (Jan. 31, 1975) but using a false Social Security number. George said Hanson had also applied for a birth certificate from King County using the birthdate he gave high school officials (March 25, 1983). Police are also looking into other documents Hanson had in his possession, including a bank card and Oregon Trail card. Hanson may have tried the same behavior in 1996. "There�s information that this fellow attempted the same thing at Phoenix High School," George said. According to court records, Hanson was placed on two years of supervised probation after he pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree theft and first-degree forgery Jan. 6, 2000. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.