Charge in school lockdown to be dropped over ID card

Woman tells St. Paul police she isn't person in the ID.

Last update: November 12, 2009 - 11:31 PM

Weeks after a report of a gunman at St. Paul College led to a campus lockdown, police continue to try to untangle the incident.

Today, St. Paul police are planning to ask the city attorney to dismiss a charge of falsely reporting a crime filed against Charleeta Deon Brown over the Sept. 23 incident.

The reason? Authorities now believe a 43-year-old St. Paul woman used Brown's name to register at the school and attend classes there.

The woman, who has not yet been charged, told police that she obtained a school ID with a photo of herself and Brown's name, said Sgt. Paul Schnell, a St. Paul police spokesman.

The woman was booked into the Ramsey County jail and remains there, Schnell said. Authorities plan to ask for a charge of false reporting a crime against her as well as a gross misdemeanor count of giving false information to police, Schnell added.

The review began with a call from Brown, who told police that she had seen her photo in news reports about the college, Schnell said. Brown said that she didn't go to St. Paul College, that she didn't know anything about the case and that she didn't want her photo to be used.

Investigators plan to talk to Brown today, Schnell said.

The report of an agitated gunman in a campus elevator led police to lock down the campus and then evacuate it while they searched.

VINCE TUSS