SPRING HILL —
A second suspect in an organized fraud investigation has been apprehended roughly a day after his partner was reported to be taken into custody.
Jason Lee Garrett, 36, was taken into custody Wednesday by unpaid law enforcement officers in the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office Reserve Deputy Program, according to an HCSO press release.
Garrett is one of two men who deputies believe have gone door-to-door since February offering landscaping and lawn services to residents while requiring advance payment for their services.
http://liarcatchers.com/fraud_investigation.html
The two would then take the cash or check and disappear while refusing to answer repeated telephone calls, the press release shows. Checks were also quickly cashed, according to the media release.
While in custody on Tuesday, Garrett admitted to owning the business and dealing with each of the victims involved.
“He provided numerous excuses why the lawn and landscaping work had not been completed and why the telephone number he gave to the victims had been changed,” according to the press release.
Billy Joe Tipton, 39, was arrested on Monday — also on charges of organized fraud. When Tipton went to cash a check at an Amscot in Spring Hill, he was taken into custody based on a warrant for his and Garrett’s arrest.
Sheriff Al Nienhuis praised the work of his reserve deputies, who since 1998 have carried out the same duties as other deputies — but for no pay — while performing road patrol functions and assisting in other areas of the sheriff’s office as needed.
“This is a shining example of how dedicated our reserve deputies are and how much they give back to the community,” Nienhuis said in the media release. “Hopefully, this arrest will prevent this individual from ever preying on another one of our citizens.”
