A Hot Springs man is accused of using a California resident’s identity to buy a car at an Arkadelphia dealership

An identity theft investigation by local law enforcement officials produced evidence which led to the arrest of a Hot Springs man.

On Aug. 23, 2023, a California woman contacted the Arkadelphia Police Department after she received a notice indicating her adult son had purchased a vehicle from a local car dealership. She advised authorities that her son had not made the purchase nor had he authorized anyone to purchase a vehicle in his name. A police report filed Aug. 23 at Arkadelphia Police Department indicates the dealership was Southwest Auto Collection.

After contacting the dealership, police were able to review the documents used to make the purchase. Those documents included forged signatures and a bogus California identification card.

Officers were able to locate the vehicle at a hotel in Malvern. One of the subjects in possession of the vehicle was later identified as being the individual who had purchased the vehicle by fraudulently assuming the identity of the victim from California.

Alex Hayden Matthews, 29, of Hot Springs, has been arrested and charged with financial identity fraud, a Class C felony.

Matthews has prior convictions of identity fraud. At the time of the alleged offense in Arkadelphia, Matthews was on supervised probation for a pair of 2022 convictions in Garland County, where on separate occasions in 2019 and 2020 he used someone’s personal information to open accounts with utilities and credit card companies. He also has prior convictions for misdemeanor property theft in a case charging him with computer fraud, although the fraud charge, a felony, was dismissed.

Clark County Prosecutor Dan Turner thanked the Arkadelphia Police Department and neighboring law enforcement agencies for their efforts in investigating this scam and identifying the suspected offender.

“Thanks to the great work by the Arkadelphia Police Department, we were able to assist an innocent consumer from another state who was victimized by this fraudulent scheme,” Turner said. “We will not tolerate identity theft in Clark County.”

Turner encouraged citizens to be vigilant about personal information and to report any suspicious activity which might appear to be identity theft to local authorities and the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office.

Turner said authorities would provide additional information about the investigation at a later date.