Woman using fake identity triggers widespread investigation at area malls

ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Simon Mall Properties has launched a widespread search after an Ohio woman was caught trying to purchase a $3,000 gift card with a fake identity.

Ross Township police said Keana Hornbuckle, of Youngstown, Ohio, was arrested Thursday after she tried to buy a $3,000 mall gift card using a Maryland woman’s identity.

Officials said when customer service asked for her ID, Hornbuckle “became nervous…grabbed her ID…and walked away.”

Ross Park Mall security officers followed Hornbuckle and asked for her ID. Police said she gave it willingly, but it was forged. Officials said she then ran and after a brief chase, she was caught.

Authorities said Hornbuckle had several forged ID cards and credit cards, all with Hornbuckle's photo on them. The names and birth dates were of several other women.

Channel 11 has learned that Hornbuckle's case has prompted Simon Mall Properties to look into its other locations throughout the area to see if she struck anywhere else.

Hornbuckle is a convicted felon out of Ohio, and at the time of her arrest in Ross Township, she was on probation for eluding police after she had been ordered to stop.

Cox Media Group