Westport Police Stand By Arrest of 'Innocent' Accused First-Date Scammer

WESTPORT, CT — Katherine Stonick, 27, says that since her arrest for allegedly swindling a first date out of $300 in gift cards, she is being unfairly hounded because she didn't do it.

Stonick, who the Hartford Courant refers to as Kaylee Stonick, claims she is the victim of mistaken identity, and has taken a lie detector test and gotten sworn statements from witnesses who she says place her 30 miles away when the crime occurred.

Westport police stand by the arrest.

As a result of the subsequent internet notoriety she received, Stonick says she has been suspended from her high-end retail clothing job without pay and has had to pay thousands of dollars on bail and lawyers fees.

The case unfolded when a man and woman, who said her name was "Sophie," went on a dinner date at Finalmente Trattoria, located at 165 Post Road East in Westport, on Aug. 17.

"The victim paid for the meal, and Stonick requested a $300.00 gift card to be paid by the victim’s credit card without the victim knowing," Westport police wrote in a statement. "Stonick reportedly excused herself from the table to use the restroom, and asked the manager to complete the gift card charge."

She then allegedly returned to the restaurant the next two nights and used the gift card she purchased fraudulently with the victim’s credit card information, police added. Detectives allegedly tracked down Stonick from the license plate of the car she used, and with the help of a photograph line up.

Westport police added that the victim positively identified Stonick from the photo line up. And police allegedly gave her multiple opportunities to cooperate with authorities before she was charged, which she reportedly did not take them up on, writes The Hour.

Stonick tells the Courant that she wants all of this to just go away. She wants her life back and to return to work, but with the internet so pervasive, she is afraid that she may not live it down for a long time.

Click here to read the full story on the Hartford Courant website, and click here to read the full story on The Hour website.

Photo: Katherine Stonick. Photo credit: Westport Police Department