A Boyle County man is in custody for allegedly scamming more than a dozen people in Boyle and surrounding counties out of thousands by telling them he would do work he never delivered on.
Boyle County Sheriff's Deputy Dustin Clem said when he and Kentucky State Police troopers caught with Jeffrey Adams, 26, of Junction City on Monday he was at the Lincoln County Courthouse facing unrelated charges. However, they were able to serve a warrant for several counts of theft by deception in Boyle, Clem said.
According to Clem, Adams went to homes of at least 11, mostly elderly Boyle residents promising to perform jobs such as tree removal or yard work in exchange for what was usually a $200 up front payment. Adams never returned to the homes to do the work and allegedly told people he was busy because he had sick family members, a claim Clem said was also false.
Clem said Adams would fill out a form similar to an invoice and give it to the victims with the amount charged to the homeowner written on it, but usually did not include the work he intended to complete. One of two victims who came forward over the weekend was able to get the work Adams said he would do and failed to complete in writing, which allowed Clem to obtain a warrant.
In all, Clem said Adams had probably taken up to $4,000.
There were already outstanding warrants for Adams arrest for doing the same thing to people in Anderson and Lincoln Counties. He is being held at the Lincoln County Detention Center on multiple charges of theft by deception and theft by failure to make required disposition of property.
Sheriff Marty Elliott said he believes more people were likely duped by Adams and hopes more will come forward. He warned about making sure anyone who does work can provide references and doesn't ask for payment before work is performed.
For more information read Wednesday's edition of the Advocate-Messenger.
