EDWARDSVILLE — An SIUE women’s soccer player was removed from the team last month, and campus officials have temporarily suspended her from the university following charges that she manufactured and sold fraudulent IDs on campus and through the mail.
Peyton Roehnelt, 19, was arrested Friday after a warrant was issued for her arrest. She turned herself in and was released on her own recognizance, SIUE Police Chief Kevin Schmoll said Monday.
At that time, an “interim separation” order was issued by the Dean of Students for the Student Affairs Office.
“She was escorted off campus at that time, and she is not allowed to return to be on SIUE property at this time,” Schmoll said.
Roehnelt can appeal the interim separation order.
Schmoll said that Roehnelt and her attorney have been cooperating with the investigation.
The chain of events leading to the arrest began over the Christmas break when a teammate was pulled over by police in Kansas and charged with DUI. She was found to be carrying a fake driver’s license after which she notified her soccer coach that she had bought the ID from Roehnelt, according to a sworn statement from SIUE police detective Phil Ragsdale.
Roehnelt played high school soccer at Metamora Township High School, and last season she started 17 games for the SIUE Cougars, according to the team’s website. The season before, she made 22 starts for the Cougars, including one in goal.
On Jan. 8, Roehnelt allegedly told SIUE Director of Athletics Jason Coomer that she had been manufacturing the fraudulent IDs for about a year and had been selling them for $50 apiece or $40 for five, according to the statement.
Roehnelt sold about 30 fraudulent IDs in the past year, although it’s possible that additional IDs may have been made using other equipment, Schmoll said. Some IDs were sold on campus while others were sold through the mail.
On Jan. 10, SIUE police obtained a search warrant for Roehnelt’s campus apartment at Evergreen Hall. They came away with 37 items that they suspect were related to fraudulent ID manufacturing, including a MacBook Pro, an Apple iPhone 7, a printer, and various other electronic equipment.
The investigation revealed that she had been making fake drivers licenses from Kentucky and South Carolina, Schmoll said. The investigation determined that she had likely been acting on her own, Schmoll said.
At some point during the investigation, Roehnelt was removed from the soccer team.
On Feb. 1, the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Roehnelt with one count of Manufacturing Fraudulent ID Card and one count of Possession of Fraudulent ID Card.
Circuit Judge Richard Tognarelli set her bond at $50,000. Shortly after her arrest on Friday, Roehnelt was released on her own recognizance.
Roehnelt