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54 °F 5 Day Forecast Wednesday, December 3, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend November 27, 2003 Medford police arrest 21-year-old ‘teenager’ at high school By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Medford police arrested a 21-year-old man who posed as a 15-year-old and tried to enroll at North Medford High School this week. Officers arrested Ervin Angel Naranjo on Wednesday on two counts of first-degree forgery, and charges of possession of a forged instrument and identity theft. He was lodged in Jackson County Jail. Medford police Lt. Mike Moran said a counselor who helps new students enroll had doubts about a potential student who showed up Monday. The student claimed to be a 15-year-old named Tommy Tafoya, and said he had just moved to Medford from Southern California. The counselor contacted school resource officer Ernie Whiteman, who started investigating. He discovered that the would- be student was actually Naranjo, a 2000 graduate of a high school in California who is just weeks shy of his 22nd birthday, Moran said. When Naranjo returned to school Wednesday to complete additional paperwork, investigators arrested him. Advertisement Naranjo had come to Medford several weeks ago to start a new life, Moran said. He was staying at the Gospel Mission, telling officials there he was 17, the youngest age that can stay there. He was building his identity as Tafoya by getting video rental cards, Moran said. He had an altered birth certificate that listed the name Tommy Tafoya and a birthdate of Dec. 12, 1985, Moran said. The notary stamp on the certificate, however, was dated 20 days earlier. That tipped investigators off to something being amiss and led to the charge of possession of a forged instrument, Moran said. Moran said police didn’t know the reasons for Naranjo’s ploy. Naranjo was born Tommy Tafoya, but his name was legally changed when his mother remarried, Moran said. Moran said school district officials are alert to the possibility of adults posing as students because it has happened several times over the past few years. Last year, police arrested a 21-year-old posing as a student at North Medford High School and charged him with third- degree rape, third-degree sodomy, first-degree forgery, identity theft and theft of services. In 2001 a fake student at South Medford High School was charged with forgery. The 26-year-old suspect in that case also had posed as a student at Phoenix High School in 1995, officials alleged. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times