McKinney police honor investigators and first responders after elder-fraud probe, child rescue

Chief Ellenberg told the City Council during the Sept. 16 work session that the McKinney Police Department will present awards to officers and staff for two recent incidents: a nearly year-long investigation into a financial-abuse scheme targeting older residents and the August response to a young child found alone at Winterford Park.

The chief opened by invoking the department motto — "do the right thing, do the best you can do, and treat others the way you'd wanna be treated" — and described Sergeant Tina Mallinckfant's work on the financial-abuse investigation. Ellenberg said Mallinckfant "spearheaded this investigation with professionalism and persistence and dedicated hundreds of man hours to uncover a sophisticated trail of fraudulent activity targeting older McKinney residents." The probe traced shell companies and banking and online accounts and resulted in the arrest of three suspects, Ellenberg said.

Ellenberg described the scheme as one that approached elderly residents to install a low-value video security system (described as worth about $1,000) then charged customers as much as $10,000. While obtaining electronic signatures, the suspects allegedly used victims' IP addresses to take out home‑improvement loans in the victims' names; Ellenberg said some victims ended up with loans of about $32,000. The chief said the investigation showed the scam affected residents across multiple Texas jurisdictions and that Mallinckfant's work had helped other jurisdictions who had been told their cases were "simply a civil matter." Ellenberg said she would present Mallinckfant with the chief's challenge coin.

Ellenberg also recognized Officer Demond Barnett, his field-training officer Jackson Watts, and dispatch communications supervisor Caitlin Geismond for their August 7 response after a 4‑year‑old child was found alone at Winterford Park. Ellenberg said the officers were unable initially to find a guardian and transported the child to the McKinney Police Department. Barnett, who is a parent of a child with autism, "quickly recognized that the child was nonverbal and autistic" and used his experience to establish a calming connection, Ellenberg said. Ellenberg credited Geismond with bringing a spare diaper, changing the child and staying with him while staff coordinated with Child Protective Services; CPS arrived about four and a half hours later, Ellenberg said.

The chief called both episodes examples of "exemplary dedication, tenacity, and investigative excellence" and said the department would formally recognize the employees with challenge coins and a photo opportunity at the work session.

The council did not take action on either matter during the work session; the presentations were informational and ceremonial.