A Forged Letter From A Judge Lands A Woman In Trouble

Harrisburg PA

21 April, 2022

8:20 PM

Description

By Julye Wemple, NorthCentralPA.com April 21, 2022 A woman allegedly forged a letter from a local judge, then later testified in court the document was valid. Now Ashley Marie Sherry, 24, is facing perjury and forgery charges for the letter she insisted District Judge Doug Brewer wrote for her, giving her permission to drive while she was unlicensed. When police questioned why she had faked the letter and backed up that claim during a Children and Youth hearing, Sherry reportedly replied, "Honestly, just dumb mistakes." Here is what police say happened: During a December Children and Youth hearing with Sherry, caseworker Alicia Camillocci noted that Sherry had been seen driving and was unlicensed. Sherry disputed that, saying she did have a license, but didn't have it with her. In the days following the hearing, Camillocci asked Sherry for proof of her license. Instead, Sherry sent a text message with a picture of the letter, written on a document from Judge Brewer's office. Some of the information on the letter was legitimate, but it also included a handwritten section, allegedly written by Brewer: "Please make sure you have this paper while driving until new class C license comes in the mail along with your PA ID ... you are still able to drive with this paper," it said. The handwritten section was signed "D." Around the same time, Camillocci discovered Sherry had been cited by the Catawissa Police Department for driving without a license. She contacted Chief Josh Laidacker and showed him the letter from Brewer. It wasn't likely a judge had given someone permission to drive against PennDOT's orders, and the letter looked "off," he told her. He advised her to contact Brewer to notify him of the possible forgery. In February, Sherry had another hearing with Children and Youth and was asked about the letter. She insisted Brewer had written it and given her permission to drive. When Brewer was asked about the letter, he confirmed it was a forgery. Sherry, 42, of Berwick, was charged with forgery, perjury, and making false statements. NorthcentralPa.com provides the region with reliable, relevant, and real-time news, covering weather, community news and events, crime, police activity, local, regional, and national alerts, and PennDOT-reported road construction and conditions. We report on local and regional politics, offer a platform for nonprofits to report their news and events, and share obituaries. Scanner reports let readers know what's happening outside their homes the minute it happens.