$20 for a fake doctor’s note? That’s what a woman charged teens, Louisiana cops say

When students at a high school in Louisiana wanted to play hooky, they knew where to go: a former medical clinic employee who sold them for $20 a pop, cops say.

Now the woman could go to prison for years.

A doctor grew suspicious when Vernon Parish school board members kept calling about medical excuses for students written by his office, the Bastrop Daily Enterprise reported. However, he hadn’t treated the students or written the doctor’s notes, KALB reported.

He told the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office, prompting an investigation, the Bastrop Daily Enterprise reported.

Detectives interviewed the high school students, who told them they got the notes from Belinda Gail Fondren, the newspaper reported.

It was “common knowledge” at Evans High School that Fondren sold the excuses for $20, KPLC reported. She sold 14 doctor’s notes, according to the Lake Charles, Louisiana TV station.

Fondren, 52, was a former clerical worker at the medical clinic, KPLC reported.

She was arrested and charged with filing or maintaining false public records, according to the sheriff’s office. If convicted, Fondren could spend up to five years in prison, KALB reported.

This story was originally published October 30, 2019 at 2:23 PM with the headline "$20 for a fake doctor’s note? That’s what a woman charged teens, Louisiana cops say."