[Vision2020] Man’s Second ‘Wife’ Arouses Suspicion

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of today's (November 28, 2009) Spokesman review.

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Man’s second ‘wife’ arouses suspicion

A man seeking a loan at a St. Mary’s County, Md., bank kidnapped a woman
and forced her to pose as his wife and co-sign for the loan, authorities
said.

But authorities said the man’s plan had a serious flaw.

Just hours before the incident, Michael H. Williams, 43, went to the same
PNC bank with another woman, possibly his wife, and tried to persuade her
to co-sign, authorities said. When he returned hours later with the victim
and called her his wife, bank employees became suspicious and alerted
police.

According to the police account, Williams walked into the PNC bank branch
in Mechanicsville about 1 p.m. Tuesday to seek a loan. With him was a
woman he said was his wife. She refused to co-sign. Williams tried to sign
her name, but the bank wouldn’t allow it. The two left together.

About two hours later, Williams was back at the bank with a different
woman, said Capt. Edward Willenborg, commander of the patrol division for
the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office. Again, Williams said he was with
his wife, and she was there to co-sign a loan with him. The woman seemed
nervous, and a teller alerted the manager, who called police, Willenborg
said.

Williams fled, but he was located and arrested nearby a short time later,
Willenborg said.

The woman told police that Williams had approached her at a nearby gas
station and said he would hurt her if she did not get in his car,
Willenborg said.

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
and the Realist adjusts his sails."

- Unknown