A woman told Denton police Wednesday that a caller from the Texas State Troopers Association used her credit card information to pay a cellphone bill.

The woman said the caller asked for a donation for the organization, which is touted to benefit troopers and their families in time of need. She gave the caller her credit card information over the telephone to make a donation.

Later, she determined that a charge to her credit card she didn’t authorize was made to pay a cellphone bill, she said.

The police officer who took the report went to the offices where the telemarketers for the association are working in Denton. A supervisor identified the caller and said he resigned two days earlier.

According to the police report, the man has a long criminal history with several convictions for theft, credit card abuse and fraud. He also has outstanding warrants, according to the report.

An investigation is continuing.

Lonnie Haschel, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said the telemarketing company does not represent the DPS.

“The department doesn’t have anything at all to do with those folks,” Has­chel said. “But I always tell people that it’s not a good idea to give your information over the telephone to anyone you don’t know.”

According to published news reports, the Texas State Troopers Association spends most of its donations paying overhead and salaries for its solicitors and administrators, and also spends money lobbying Congress. Of an estimated $3.7 million raised annually by the association, less than $100,000 is donated to the DPS, the reports state.

Other reports

1800 block of Carlton Street — A woman reported Wednesday that be­tween July 26 and July 31 her 21-year-old stepson took her credit card from her wallet without her knowledge and used it to make more than $800 worth of charges. Then he sneaked it back into her wallet, and she didn’t realize he had taken it until she received her credit card bill.

The woman said her husband discovered that, instead of using his father’s credit card to have his car inspected, as had been the father’s orders, he used it to make more than $400 worth of charges at businesses around Denton.

The stepson moved out about a week ago and the woman did not know where to find him, she said.

Roundup

From 7 a.m. Wednesday to 7 a.m. Thursday:

• Denton police handled 317 calls for service and officer-initiated calls, including one case of manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance, two cases of possession of marijuana, three cases of possession of drug paraphernalia, four vehicle burglaries, three thefts, two debit or credit card abuses, one forgery, one fraud, three burglaries, two cases of possession of a controlled substance, one aggravated robbery, one assault and one attempted suicide.

• Denton County sheriff’s dispatchers handled 254 calls for service and officer-initiated calls. Forty-seven people were booked into county jail. Dep­uties took reports of one de­ceased person, one harassment, two assaults, one vehicle burglary and one building burglary.

• Denton firefighters re­sponded to one false alarm, six medical calls, two requests for public service, three traffic accidents, two alarms and one gas leak.

Argyle firefighters responded to one request for mutual aid and one fire.

Krum firefighters responded to one medical call, one traffic accident and one smoke investigation.

Pilot Point firefighters re­sponded to one request to unlock a vehicle and one medical call.

Oak Point firefighters re­sponded to one medical call.

Sanger firefighters responded to one medical call, one deceased person and one grassfire.

DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com .

Denton County Crime Stoppers will pay a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest in these or other crimes. Callers will remain anonymous. Call 1-800-388-TIPS (8477). To receive crime alerts in your area, visit CrimeWeb.net.