DATE: Wednesday, October 29, 1997           TAG: 9710290631

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B12  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   54 lines

POLICE: SCAM SUSPECT, OUT ON BAIL, VANISHES

A crying woman with a crying child scammed Charles Ketchu out of $17, but that's not why he's mad. She took advantage of his good nature.

``That's it, of course. Who would think someone would scam you out of $17?'' the retired Windsor Oaks West resident said. ``It's just the fact that she made me feel so damn stupid.''

Police said the suspect, 27-year-old Elizabeth C. Odell, has taken advantage of a lot of people since summer with a sob story that's softened residents in at least 10 neighborhoods. Now, police are trying to find her.

Police said the story used to hook Ketchu is the same tale the suspect has spun at least 18 times since July.

She's new in the neighborhood, she says. A locksmith is working on her home. She's a few dollars short of paying the bill, and could she borrow some money. Her husband (in some stories he's a police officer) will repay the debt when he returns from work.

``The child was the kicker,'' Ketchu said.

Ketchu said it was a hot day and the toddler was bawling in the car as he fished through his pockets for $17. He made the woman sign a promissory note and write her phone number and address.

When no one returned with his money, Ketchu called the phone number and went to the address. Neither checked out. And the name she signed wasn't hers.

The scam victims have ranged in age from senior citizens such as Ketchu to a high-school student. The scam has been reported in Chimney Hill, Green Run, Bow Creek, Kenneth Grove, Glenwood, Princess Anne Plaza, Bellamy Woods, Fairfield, Brennan Farms and Larkspur.

Police said most victims were taken for about $20. And authorities believe there are probably many victims who have never reported the crime to police out of embarrassment.

After a spate of trickery, police arrested Odell. She was charged with 14 counts of getting money under false pretenses, but she posted bail Oct. 2 and has disappeared, police say.

Although Odell isn't due in court until Nov. 17, police spokesman Lou Thurston says the cons have continued since her release. Officers haven't been able to locate her.

Ketchu said police told him that Odell moved out of the house she shared with her mother. Police list her last known address as the 3300 block of Boynton Court.

The investigator tracking Odell, Detective G.A. Moyers, would like to hear from citizens who think they've been a victim of a similar scam but never reported it to police. Police are also asking for information that will lead them to Odell.

Citizens can call Moyers at 474-8500 or Crime Solvers at 427-0000. ILLUSTRATION: Elizabeth C. Odell, police say, has used a sob story

to get money from people at least 18 times. She is out on bond. KEYWORDS: SCAM

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