When 47-year-old Zelpha K. Moore reported to Kane County sheriff’s deputies that she had tackled a man in a ski mask who tried to rob the LaFox Post Office back in May, many people applauded the post office employee as a hero.

Now she faces felony charges for making the whole thing up.

Zelpha K. Moore

According to a Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office news release, the Aurora woman is charged with lying to police in May about a crime that did not occur.

Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon has charged Moore with the offenses of disorderly conduct, a Class 4 felony, and obstructing justice, a Class 4 felony.

Kane County prosecutors allege that on May 2, 2019, Moore falsely reported to a Kane County sheriff’s deputy that an armed robbery had been committed at the U.S. Post Office in the 1N block of LaFox Road, LaFox.

At that time, she told sheriff’s deputies that a man wearing a ski mask entered the post office and confronted her, brandishing a semi-automatic handgun and demanding money.

The LaFox Post Office is at the far left of the building in this Google Maps screenshot.

She also told deputies she tackled the man before he was able to get any money and he fled on foot in an unknown direction.

A Kane County judge on Oct. 4, 2019, signed a warrant for Moore’s arrest and set her bail at $10,000.

Kane County Sheriff’s Office deputies took Moore into custody on Oct. 7.

Moore appeared that day in Kane County bond court. Kane County Associate Judge Keith Johnson released Moore from custody on her promise to appear in court.

If convicted, Moore faces a sentence of probation or between one and three years’ imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The charges against Moore are not proof of guilt. Moore is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the state’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Sheriff’s Office: Armed Robbery Foiled By Female Employee at LaFox Post Office