Walkertown man convicted of using credit card of veteran who killed himself. |
A Walkertown man has been convicted of stealing and using the credit card of a Winston-Salem veteran whom police said killed himself last year.
Ronald Dean Lacey, 37, pleaded guilty on Sept. 24 in Forsyth District Court to one felony count of obtaining property by false pretenses, according to court records.
Lacey was accused of using James Eric Matthews’ credit card to buy soda and a $100 gift card from the Food Lion on North Point Boulevard on May 28, 2019.
Judge Lisa Menefee of Forsyth District Court gave Lacey an active sentence of one year and two months to two years and two months. He was given credit for 227 days he spent in the Forsyth County Jail, court records said.
In April, Winston-Salem police identified the remains of Matthews, who was reported missing nearly in May 2019.
Matthews’ vehicle was found about two weeks after he was reported missing. Two days before the vehicle was found, a white man was seen using Matthews’ credit card at stores in Northside Shopping Center. Matthews was Black.
Lacey was arrested in February 2020, and court records said he was extradited from Washington, D.C.
Winston-Salem police found Matthews’ remains in an area in the 100 block of Hammock Farm Road about a month after Lacey was arrested.
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