Grand Junction woman facing charges for welfare theft

A Mesa County woman is accused of lying about her household income so she could continue receiving public assistance.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, April Dawn Creasman is accused of failing to report that the father of five of her seven children was living with her and financially supporting her from 2008 through at least early 2012.

The affidavit alleges she fraudulently collected more than $38,000 in aid that she wouldn’t have been eligible to receive if the father’s income had been reported to Mesa County Human Services. Investigators say the father earned about $99,000 in gross income during 2011.

Creasman is free on a $7,500 bond. Her phone number is unlisted, and she couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday.