Jakobie Timblin, Richland Center man has been charged with stealing military valor after allegedly pretending to be a Marine and stealing thousands of dollars and telling his girlfriend he had been deployed five times, Washington County Sheriff’s Office reports. He bought a fake uniform and medals online, and while he was deployed, he was actually in jail.
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Who is Jakobie Timblin?
Jakobie Timblin was charged with providing false statements about military service with intent to commit a crime and theft by false representation. He is 34 years old. Last month, he was arraigned in Washington County Circuit Court for the two felony counts.
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Timblin started communicating with the victim online in 2015, the sheriff said. In 2016, someone pretending to be Timblin’s mother asked to write to him overseas, where he was serving the Marines. The victim then communicated with Timblin by sending letters for the next two years.
According to the sheriff, they met in person in 2019 and started dating. In 2019, the victim was contacted by someone claiming to be Timblin’s captain, who is arranging a gift for him based on the “heroic work he did overseas.”
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The person demanded a loan that would be reimbursed by the Department of Defense and the victim signed a check for $5,000, the sheriff’s office said.
Timblin claimed to have been deployed once in Iraq and four times in Afghanistan throughout their relationship. He was actually in prison during that time.
During a trip to the family’s cabin, Timblin allegedly brought along his dress blues which had several medals and a purple heart attached. He told the victim’s stepmother that he learned of his mother’s demise when he returned from deployment and needed money for estate planning. The victim’s mother wrote him a check for $6,500 but was never paid back.
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When the victim’s mother checked into Timblin’s mother’s obituary and learned she only had one son named Jacob Elliot. Later, she found that Elliot was on extended release for a 2014 armed robbery. After verifying with the Department of Corrections picture, she learned that Elliot is Timblin.
With the help of the Marines, it was discovered that Timblin never served in the armed forces.
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According to the sheriff’s office, Elliot changed his name to Jakobie Timblin after meeting the victim. He was discharged from prison in late 2018. He will appear in court on May 25 for a plea/sentencing hearing in Washington County Circuit Court.
