LITTLE ROCK — A Texarkana man sat in a Heber Springs jail Friday after police said he spent the summer swindling a 91-year-old widow with dementia out of $82,000.
Louis N. Jones, 41, was held in the Cleburne County jail with bail set at $100,000 on a felony charge of soliciting money from an incompetent.
Cleburne County sheriff's detective Phil Burnham said Friday that Jones persuaded Helene M. Carr to sign and turn over seven blank checks for landscaping work at Carr's home over the course of 20 days in July and August.
Burnham said Jones presented seven checks for deposit - six payable to himself and one payable to his wife - for a total of $82,000. The final check Jones presented was worth $39,000, Burnham said. The bank put ahold on it.
Burnham said Jones did little work at Carr's home.
"You could probably buy a nice little house for $82,000," Burnham said.
Burnham said Carr lives alone in a gated community on Greers Ferry Lake just west of downtownHeber Springs.
A housekeeper called Carr's son, Don, a few weeks ago in Texas and told him she was suspicious of Jones.
Don Carr reported the withdrawals from his mother's bank account to police on Aug. 13, according to court documents. Jones was arrested last week.
Neither Helene or Don Carr could be reached for comment Friday.
Beverly Claunch, Jones' attorney, said Friday that her client has pleaded innocent. She declined to comment further.
Jones told police that the payments were for landscaping work, according to court documents. He also said Helene Carr signed a contract approving the work.
Soliciting money from an incompetent is a Class D felony. If convicted, Jones could face up to six years in prison and a $10,000fine.
Senior citizens are common targets for scam artists, said Pat Jones, associate state director of the Arkansas AARP.
She warned Arkansans to be wary of door-to-door solicitations, to ask for references, to make sure contractors are licensed and to get everything in writing.
Burnham said senior citizens likely get scammed more often than the public realizes.
"I'm sure there are a lot of people just like this victim who do live alone and probably get took," he said. "It happens frequently; we sometimes just don't hear about it."
Arkansas AARP will host free public forums in October and November where senior citizens can get information on ways to avoid financial scams.
More information is available at (866) 554-5379.
Arkansas, Pages 17 on 08/29/2009