Prison can be super inconvenient – especially when it’s tax time. Just ask Corinne Vermillion.
The Rapid City mother of two is currently in jail waiting for her September 15 trial date for the murder of her longtime boyfriend. So imagine her distress when, while in jail, she received her federal income tax refund check. As Vermillion no longer has an active bank account, she can only cash the check if she re-opens her bank account. Pursuant to the bank’s rules, she has to appear in person to do so which is where that whole “being in jail” thing becomes inconvenient.
So Vermillion did what any incarcerated person would do in the same circumstances: she asked for an armed guard to go to the bank. Yep. The attorney representing Vermillion asked Circuit Judge Heidi Linngren to have the Pennington County Jail staff escort Vermillion to a nearby bank.
What does Vermillion need with the cash while she’s in jail?
Vermillion has been asked to pay for the support of her children while her parents are caring for her two young children. While the amount of Vermillion’s federal income tax refund check wasn’t released, it could be significant: the average refund issued by IRS for the 2014 tax year is $2,947.
Vermillion is charged with alternative counts of second degree murder and first degree manslaughter in the killing of her boyfriend, Donny Ledeaux, at their shared apartment in a public housing complex. Vermillion has admitted stabbing Ladeaux in the chest during an argument but she has entered a not guilty plea based on self defense. The January 8 stabbing was the first murder of the year in Rapid City. Vermillion’s attorney has previously stated the assault occurred after Ledeaux took Vermillion’s vodka away.
She now sits in jail pending trial.
While Vermillion may need the cash now, all is not lost if the judge turns her down and she has to wait a bit. A federal income tax refund check is good for a year from the date that it was issued. Refund checks not cashed within 12 months of issue date are considered expired checks.
Even if a year passes before she makes it to the bank, Vermillion could still catch a break: expired refund checks can be replaced so long as the original was never cashed. To request a replacement check, taxpayers need only call IRS at 1.800.829.0115 (the IRS also asks that you destroy the original).
In the alternative, it may be possible for Vermillion to sign a Power of Attorney which gives her parents (or another responsible party) the authority to conduct financial matters on her behalf. This is an especially convenient option when working with elderly, disabled or incapacitated taxpayers. And a bonus? No police escort required.
