Woman charged with forgery

A Douglasville woman was arrested Saturday, accused of forging more than $15,000 in checks belonging to former Life University president Sid Williams and his wife, Nell Williams, according to a Cobb County arrest warrant.

Paula Marie Dawkins, 46, is charged with 22 counts of forgery and identity fraud. She is being held in lieu of $25,000 bond at the Cobb County Jail.

The checks, one as high as $1,440, were drawn on the Williamses’ Wachovia Bank account.

Dawkins cashed the checks at Joe’s Bottle Shop on Veterans Memorial Highway in Austell in May, according to the Oct. 4 warrant.

Her mother, Melba Hughes, has worked for the Williams family since 1972 in various capacities. Hughes said she believes her daughter stole the checks from her office.

The Williamses filed a complaint on July 12, said Cobb Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Nancy Bodiford, who declined to give further details.

In another warrant, Dawkins is charged with forgery on May 1 in connection with an incident where she allegedly dressed in overalls, baseball cap and sunglasses to pose as a man. In that instance, police say she tried unsuccessfully to cash a $1,231 check made payable to Stanley Strickland from another couple’s account using Strickland’s Georgia ID.