Wednesday, 21 June 2000Elderly Tucsonans victimizedSix sought in home-repair scam
By David Wichner ARIZONA DAILY STAR Police are seeking six members of a fraud ring that allegedly swindled thousands of dollars from elderly Tucson residents in a brazen home-repair scam. Arrest warrants were issued late Monday for five men and one woman who allegedly offered roof and home repairs door-to-door to at least five victims in the North Side area since late last year.
Wanted are Tucson-area residents Troy Wheeler, 31; John David Pettingell, 26; Christopher Willis, 25; Curtis Ives, 20; Elmer Kollecker, 18; and Teresa Thornton, 38. The six face various felony charges of fraud and attempted fraud, as well as exploitation of a vulnerable adult and theft from a vulnerable adult. As part of the alleged scam, an elderly Tucson woman living alone reportedly lost more than $20,000, though that has not been documented by police. After initially making off with payments for repairs that were never performed, the suspects returned posing as bank examiners and drove the victim to a bank. The suspects returned weeks later and took more money posing as police detectives, and later sent a taxi with instructions to take the victim to a nearby automated-teller machine. Members of the same band allegedly drove another elderly victim to the bank, then drove off with her car. The auto was later recovered. "They've taken at least two or three of these women right to the bank and made them write checks and done nothing for them," Assistant Attorney General John Evans said. Detective Tom Burleigh of Pima County's Police Elder Abuse Task Force said investigators know of five elderly victims of the alleged scam but believe others may have been swindled. Police have so far documented more than $16,000 in losses from the alleged scheme, but other losses remain under investigation, Burleigh said. Investigators believe the ring has been operating since at least late 1999, mainly in the area of west Prince and Roger roads. Though no violence has been reported, all felony suspects are considered dangerous, Burleigh said. Information about their past criminal records was not immediately available. Police say the case is the latest incident of fraud against the elderly, which costs Tucson's older citizens an estimated $5 million a year. Burleigh said home-repair scam artists prey on older people, especially women living alone, because they often are trusting and vulnerable. "They can't get up on the roof to see whether the job's been done," Burleigh said. Such scams can devastate victims financially. Drained of her life savings, one victim of the home-repair scheme has been forced to give up her home because she can no longer afford special in-home medical care. Meanwhile, police are asking those with information on the whereabouts of any of the six suspects to dial 911 to report it. According to the arrest warrants: * Troy Wheeler is described as white, 5 feet 8 inches tall and 140 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. His last known address is in the 120 block of east Mojave. * John David Pettingell is described as white, 5 feet 9 inches tall and 160 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. His last known address is in the 1300 block of West Roger Road. * Christopher Willis is described as white, 5 feet 7 inches tall and 154 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. His last known address is in the 1600 block of West Prince Road. * Curtis Ives is described as white, 5 feet 11 inches tall and 152 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes. His last known address is in the 1600 block of West Prince Road. * Elmer Kollecker is described as white male, 6 feet 3 inches tall and 150 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes. His last known address is in the 6100 block of East Benson Highway. * Teresa Thornton is described as white, 5 feet tall and 122 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes. Her last known address is in the 3900 block of North Stone Avenue. |
