Texas college captures accused high school imposter - News - MailTribune.com - Medford, OR

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Texas college captures accused high school imposter Daniel Charles Ray Hanson Friday Nov 17, 2017 at 5:05 PM Nov 17, 2017 at 5:05 PM Nick Morgan Mail Tribune @mtcrimebeat After being on the lam for nearly 17 years on accusations he faked his birth date to return to a Medford high school, Daniel Charles Ray Hanson has been captured at a Texas university. Hanson, 42, who's had a Jackson County warrant out for his arrest since 2001 in a bizarre forgery case, has been in a jail in Fort Worth, Texas, for the past week after University of Texas at Arlington police arrested him on charges of falsifying school or government records. Hanson remains lodged in the Tarrant County Jail on $5,000 bail, jail records show. Details about Hanson's arrest were not immediately released by UTA police. The Mail Tribune has filed a records request seeking his police report. A 2001 forgery case alleged that Hanson posed as a homeless teenager and attended South Medford High School when he was 25, according to court documents filed in Jackson County Circuit Court. He graduated from Eagle Point High School with honors in 1994. Hanson allegedly blew his cover in the Medford case when a teacher spotted him drinking beer at a local pizzeria where the girls basketball team had been celebrating after a game, sparking an investigation that led to his Jan. 26, 2001, classroom arrest on forgery charges. Hanson allegedly claimed to be 17 years old and homeless, but purchased the beer with his legitimate ID, according to news reports. The following March, Hanson failed to appear for a court appearance on two felony counts of first-degree forgery accusing him of falsifying a Social Security application and school registration form. His whereabouts had been unknown until last week. Tarrant County Jail records show he was booked in the jail Nov. 10. Hanson has an apparent history of enrolling at schools under false credentials that dates back even farther. He was arrested in 1995 on forgery charges that were never prosecuted after he allegedly falsified a Phoenix High School enrollment application. The year prior, Hanson had attended Willamette University on a full-ride scholarship based on his legitimate merits. In the 1995 and 2001 cases, Hanson allegedly told registrars his mother had home-schooled him, that he was homeless. He submitted false birth dates and Social Security numbers on his applications. — Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat.