Arnold Man Hired Fake Lawyer

Court records report that Dustin C. Mitchell, 31, is a convicted felon who said he was an attorney.

Mitchell pleaded guilty to another felony, last week, and was sentenced to spend four months in a state prison, the stltoday.com website reports.

An Arnold man facing charges of attacking a hospital security guard hired Mitchell as an attorney in the past, the stltoday.com news website says. The news website did not provide a date for the Arnold man's trial.

Mitchell successfully argued for a reduced bail and won the Arnold man's release from jail.

Authorities learned Mitchell was not a lawyer days later when he gave another attorney's bar membership number during another legal case, the website says. 

Officers charged Mitchell with one felony count of stealing by deceit for allegedly taking money to represent a St. Louis County man in court and faces three similar charges.

As for the Arnold client, a judge has issued a warrant for arrest and St. Louis county's law enforcement officers are searching for him.