Army colonels switched places to fake results of paternity test

Two Army colonels are accused of switching identities to try to fool a paternity test, authorities said.

Scott M. Carlson, 51, and Bruce S. Adkins, 44, who is accused of trying to take the paternity test in Carlson's place, were charged Thursday with tampering with public records, tampering with evidence, forgery, theft and obstruction of justice, District Attorney David Freed said.

Adkins, who is stationed in Georgia, will testify against Carlson if necessary, his attorney said.

"He's going to cooperate," attorney Gregory Abeln said. "He's going to do whatever he needs to do to rectify this situation."

It was not immediately known if Carlson, who is on duty in Egypt, had an attorney.

Both men had been members of the class of 2007 at the Army War College in Carlisle. Freed said Carlson appeared at the Cumberland County domestic relations office in March to arrange for a paternity test.

Carlson had been paying a Virginia woman child support for her 9-year-old daughter and she was seeking an increase, Senior Assistant District Attorney Derek Clepper said.

County domestic relations employees became suspicious when another man showed up in April, claimed to be Carlson and wanted to take the paternity test.

The man presented Carlson's out-of-state driver's license, signed papers as Carlson, provided a thumbprint, and provided a DNA sample, Detective Sgt. Earl Bock said in arrest papers. Bock said the man was identified through the thumbprint as Adkins.

After the criminal investigation started, Carlson sent a letter to the domestic relations office in August and said he had been paying support since January 1999, had not paid since December 2006, and wanted to resume paying.

Lt. Col. Bob Whetstone, a spokesman for Carlisle Barracks, the post where the War College is located, said it would be up to the commanders of Carlson's and Adkins' current units to determine whether military charges also should be brought against them.