BEDFORD – An Oolitic teen was arrested after he forged a note from a doctor excusing him from work.
Bedford Police arrested 19-year-old Gavin Blackshear on charges of forgery and counterfeiting.
According to Bedford Police Department Detective Max Uebelhoer, on February 5, 2024. Officer Taylor Daughterty was requested to IU Health Bedford Hospital to a physician’s office. The doctor had received a fax from a Springville company about Gaven Blackshear. The employer said Blackshear had a letter with the doctor’s letterhead excusing him from work on Feb. 1 and Feb. 2 about Blackshear having cold and flu symptoms. The employer wanted the doctor to confirm that his office sent the letter.
The doctor told Officer Daughterty he did not authorize this patient to have time off and
advised he had not seen Blackshear in over a year. The doctor confirmed the signature on the bottom of the letterhead was not his.
Blackshear’s employee told police he had missed several days of work, and per company policy, they required him to provide documentation as to why he was missing work. Blackshear provided human resources with the letterhead. Human resources then contacted IU Health for the letter’s authenticity because it seemed out of the ordinary from the sick notes she usually processes. Human resources also confirmed that Blackshear had turned in a similar note in December 2023 signed by another doctor at IU Health.
Detective Uebelhoer spoke to Blackshear by phone on Feb. 2, 2024. Blackshear told police he had been in the emergency room and got the note from there. When asked why a note from this doctor would have been submitted to his employer, Blackshear said he was not sure. He then later admitted he was sick and did not have insurance, so he had his mother make him a forged doctor’s note. He also admitted the note from December was also forged by his mother.
On Feb. 8, Detective Major Kye Louden and Detective Uebelhoer spoke to Blackshear’s mother at home. When the detectives showed her the note, she refused to speak to the detectives.
The information was forwarded to the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office, and a warrant was issued for Blackshear’s arrest.
