TEXARKANA, Texas–A Texarkana woman who falsely claimed to be a licensed private investigator is accused of attempting to get confidential information from a local school district.
Bessie “Bess” Elizabeth Gamble Williams, 65, was arrested Monday by officers with the Texas Dept. of Public Safety on a charge of impersonating a private investigator, a Class A misdemeanor, booking records show. She was released the following day after posting a $10,000 bond.
Williams allegedly “portrayed herself as a federal investigator by wearing a federal badge pinned to the left side of her chest” when she went to a local high school the morning of May 13, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Williams was allegedly “demanding” the records of a student and reportedly told school officials she was a private investigator with “Shield of Valor Executive Protection LLC,” the affidavit said. Williams allegedly claimed she had been hired by the student’s mother to investigate the circumstances surrounding an altercation that occurred at the school in March and was allegedly “demanding” that the school hand over any information it had about the incident.
Less than a week after appearing at the school wearing the official-looking badge, Williams allegedly emailed local school administrators claiming that “her company, Shield of Valor LLC,” was hired by a student’s mother to conduct an investigation.
Investigators with DPS determined that not only is Williams not a licensed private investigator in Texas, Shield of Valor isn’t licensed to conduct investigations in the Lone Star State either. The organization’s LinkedIn page and website bill it as a security service based in Nevada and does not advertise licensed investigator services.
The Texas DPS investigation also revealed that this was not the first time Williams had allegedly told a school administrator that she was involved in an investigation. Williams allegedly was permitted to interview a student at a local elementary school in October last year after telling an official there that she was employed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and was conducting an investigation into bullying that had occurred while the student was enrolled in another nearby school district.
Class A misdemeanor offenses, such as the charge of impersonating a private investigator that Williams is facing, are punishable by up to a year in the county jail, a fine up to $4,000, or both, if there is a conviction. Defendants may also receive a term of probation if found guilty.
