PROVO — A Brigham Young University track star could miss the national indoor championships next month after prosecutors filed two felony forgery charges against her this week.
Already a two-time All-America, Aneta Henryka Lemiesz, 23, is ranked fourth in the country in the indoor 800 meters. It's unlikely the charges would derail the senior's final attempt at an indoor national title because the first hearing in the case isn't scheduled until March 11, a day before the championships begin in Fayetteville, Ark.
However, BYU's Honor Code Office has launched an investigation. If school officials find Lemiesz has violated the honor code, she could be placed on probation, suspended or expelled.
BYU's honor code, which students sign before they enroll, requires all students to be honest and uphold the law.
"There is a review taking place," BYU spokeswoman Carri Jenkins said. "The Honor Code Office does not have to wait for the courts to finish their business. If the Honor Code Office obtains enough information to conclude a review and make a decision, it will, but that is done on a case-by-case basis."
The charges, filed in 4th District Court, allege that Lemiesz committed a forgery twice on Nov. 19. BYU police investigated the incidents, but university officials declined to discuss specifics in an open case.
Utah County deputy prosecutor Mariane O'Bryant also declined to talk about the allegations until Lemiesz makes her first court appearance.
Lemiesz, who is from Aleksandrow Lodzki, Poland, is also part of BYU's distance medley relay team, which took second at indoor nationals in 2003 — her first All-America performance — and has the nation's best time so far this season, 11:06.91.
Lemiesz earned a second All-America citation when she finished seventh in the 800 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last summer.
BYU women's track coach Craig Poole called Lemiesz a "neat, neat" girl, an international transfer who made an immediate impact on the program. He said she will be allowed to compete with the team pending the completion of the honor code review.
"She's still a member of our team and we support her as a member of our team," Poole said.
If someone is convicted of a third-degree felony, penalties range from simple probation to the maximum of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
E-mail: twalch@desnews.com