SHAFTSBURY, Vt. (AP) - A Shaftsbury man has been arrested on fraud charges, accusing him of picking up hay from farms and stores with bad checks or false promises to pay or barter equipment later and reselling it to farmers, Vermont State Police said Friday.
Richard Blackmer, Jr., 38, was arrested Thursday, after a months-long investigation involving police in Vermont, Massachusetts and New York. He was expected to be arraigned on Friday on 20 counts of false pretenses and 11 counts of bad checks.
Blackmer would get customers to buy additional deliveries of hay and require them to pay up front, often saying he was giving them deals and then fail to deliver the hay after he got the payment, police said.
He also defrauded people of maple syrup, maple syrup and farm equipment, and collectible miniature race cars. police said.
Blackmer was being held at the Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility in Rutland. It was not immediately known if he is being represented by an attorney. A message was left with the Bennington County public defenders’ office.
Police are asking anyone who had a fraudulent interaction with Blackmer to the call the Vermont State Police.
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