Minnesota woman pleads guilty to impersonating wounded soldier

WALKER, Minn. — A northern Minnesota woman who claimed she was wounded in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army has pleaded guilty to impersonating an officer.

Twenty-year-old Elizabeth McKenzie of Cass Lake entered her plea Monday. She was scheduled to go on trial this week in Cass County.

Wearing combat battle fatigues, McKenzie was honored in February at a special ceremony. She led a march in the high school gym, carrying the American flag.

Police became suspicious after a college recruiter said McKenzie had been attending classes in Cloquet during the period she claimed to have been deployed.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that in fact, McKenzie had never been injured, had never been to Afghanistan and had never been in the Army.

A phone message left for McKenzie's attorney was not immediately returned Monday.

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