BENTON COUNTY (KFSM) – An arraignment date has been set for a Texas man accused of bilking an elderly man out of $6,400, officials say.
James C. Lovell, 31, of Liberty Hill, Texas was arrested on Sept. 30 and booked into the Benton County Jail. He faces a felony charge of theft of property, and his arraignment has been scheduled for Nov. 3 at 8 a.m., according to officials.
Lovell met the elderly man during breakfast in a Bentonville restaurant in June, 2013. He told the elderly man that he would paint his house for him, but he needed some money in advance. The elderly man wrote Lovell a check for $2,400, and he left, according to police. A few days passed, and Lovell approached the elderly man once more, saying, he needed more money to finish the job, police said.
The suspect got another check for $4,000, and he later cashed both. Lovell never painted the house, and the elderly man never saw him again, according to police.
The elderly man’s family was checking his finances later and noticed the two checks, and they did not recognize the name on them. So, they asked him about them and were told about Lovell, police said.
Police started an investigation and traced the checks to an Arvest Bank where they were cashed. They got Lovell’s name off of the check (he had to sign them to cash them), according to police.
The first check was cashed at the Arvest Financial Center at 405 South Walton Blvd., and the second one was cashed in Jane, Mo., police said.
Authorities obtained financial documents showing the person who cashed the checks had presented a Texas driver’s license for identification. The driver’s license identified the man cashing the checks as James Lovell, and surveillance video from the bank also showed him cashing the checks, according to police.
An arrest warrant was issued on Aug. 28, 2013, and Lovell was located and arrested more than a year later on Sept. 30, police said.
Lovell is being held on a $40,000 bond, according to the jail’s intake report.
