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09/15/2008 12:00 pm

POV

Mom Wendy Brown, 33, Poses as Daughter to Try Out for the High School Cheerleading Team

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Do you ever wish you could relive your high school days?

Police say Wendy Brown, a 33-year-old Wisconsin woman, was so desperate to relive her teenage years that she allegedly stole her daughter’s identity, tried out for the cheerleading team and attended a day of classes before going missing — because she was in jail.

Wendy Brown, who was charged Friday with identity theft, allegedly used her daughter’s documentation to become a student at Ashwaubenon High School, near Green Bay, WI. The Green Bay Press-Gazette reports Brown enrolled using her 15-year-old daughter’s official transcript, social security card, birth certificate and other personal identification, according to court documents.

Officials said the woman, who the media’s calling the "pom-pom mom," stopped attending school after the first day, prompting a truancy investigation that led to the discovery of her true identity.

The woman told officers she wanted to get her high school diploma and become a cheerleader because she had no childhood, reports the Gazette. School and law enforcement officials later discovered Brown was arrested September 3 by Green Bay police and booked into the Brown County Jail on an unrelated misdemeanor charge. Brown admitted to the lie and said her daughter was unaware of the scheme. Brown’s daughter is under the legal guardianship of Brown’s mother, reports the Gazette.

The "pom-pom mom" is now jailed and bail is set at $9,500 on three criminal complaints.

10 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Okay….now I can officially die because I have heard it all now! :-)

By BelindaJoy on 09/15/2008 11:43 am

This makes me sad. I wonder what she means when she says she had no childhood and is the maternal grandmother in any way responsible and if so why does she have guardianship of the child? These things can be so complicated. And so many villains do such a good job of looking and behaving like good guys in public. I hope the child is in no danger. And I hope Wendy Brown will get some help.

By rockyrocky on 09/15/2008 11:55 am

the only comment that gives me pause is when she said “she had no childhood” as her motive - what does this mean? she isn’t the legal guardian of her daughter, she was only 18 when she had her - is this another ripple effect of teenage pregnancy, that they really actually do miss out on being a fun loving kid (duh)? there is likely more to this…

By ChipsAHoey on 09/15/2008 11:57 am

The bond set for her would be far better spent in getting her the mental health treatment she OBVIOUSLY needs!

By HABIBI on 09/15/2008 11:57 am

This woman would do well to get herself to a good counselor and get some cognitive psychotherapy.

By DianaT on 09/15/2008 12:04 pm

As Chips said above, it does seem like teen pregnancy had something to do with the beginnings of this problem. I had my oldest daughter at 17, but my parents made sure I got my education at the same time, tutors and home eduction and I had my high school diploma before my class had theirs. And my parents had to stretch the budget to do this. Maybe I missed some of the fun, but there is a lot of adult fun out there that this woman should be told about rather than being left to live thinking only of what she didn’t do. Definately therapy but there are also adult education classes if she really wants a diploma.

By SandbeeFB54 on 09/15/2008 12:56 pm

Ok why does everything have to have blame plassed somewhere else? This woman knew perfectly well what she was doing was wrong, yet she still did it. I can’t say that I understand b/c I don’t but even if you had a bad childhood you dont go around at 33 trying to be 15…what makes it even worse is that she got away with it. There is another article: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/09/13/2008-09-13_mom_thats… that says she made the team, went to a cheerleading pool party at the coach’s house & had a cheerleader locker and attended practices. Do our 15 year olds look that old now a days? I just dont see how she got away with it? This lady is now facing up to 6 years in Prison…I wish I could say that I feel sorry for her but I don’t. Yes I think she needs help mentally but again lets not blame her being 18 when she had her daughter…at 18 most people are already graduated high school so those high school days were over with when she had her daughter…She had a bad childhood as do so many but people get over it, they grow stronger b/c of it…Oh well some don’t….

By CHardy on 09/15/2008 3:47 pm

This was the plot for an episode of the television show Buffy—I am not kidding. It wasn’t entertaining this time because it is so darn sad. I am sorry if I step on some toes here, but a young girl’s teen years is too young to have the responsibility of a child. There are choices. There are always choices. If the choices are tossed aside, there are repercussions. I have a niece who had a child her senior year of high school, got married, tossed aside her plans for college (she was so book smart she could have gotten any scholarship), and with each subsequent child got deeper into poverty. Her husband abused her and cheated on her and she regretted doing the “right thing” (for whom?) and in her late 30s wished she had done it differently—perhaps starting with birth control. Her regret pierced my heart, because I recall how happy she was when she found out at 17 she was pregnant and how unhappy I was that she was dumping the future she wanted since she herself was a small child. And I did not like being proved right. I only wanted the best for her since she was a baby.

By kermieb on 09/15/2008 3:52 pm

That’s why I say, even if pregnant, keep having the education. You can take care of yourself and your children later because you sure don’t know if you can count on the father. And teach sex education - birth control - in school. Back in my day, long ago, there was nothing and I was just plain curious.

By SandbeeFB54 on 09/15/2008 5:52 pm

Umm - she faces up to 6 years? True identity theft is a serious matter - but sex offenders don’t get 6 years in the joint. WTF?

By PamelaDetlor on 09/15/2008 8:09 pm