Christine Blau 
A Scorching Springs handyman was arrested past week on 60 felony counts involving theft, fraud and forgery soon after getting accused of swindling a Very hot Springs Village woman he experienced been doing work for due to the fact final summer season.
Jerome Matthew McConnell, 45, who lists a Belvedere Drive address, is billed with 3 counts of money identification fraud and 29 counts of next-degree forgery, just about every punishable by up to 10 many years in jail. McConnell also faces 26 counts of theft by receiving, just about every punishable by up to 6 several years, and two misdemeanor counts of fraudulent use of a credit score card, punishable by up to a person yr in jail.
McConnell was arrested April 14. He remained in custody Wednesday in lieu of a $40,000 bond and is established to appear Might 22 in Garland County District Court docket. In accordance to court docket documents, McConnell also has fees for violation of the Arkansas Incredibly hot Check out Law pending in Garland County and Saline County, and a parole hold on him was unveiled Monday.
In accordance to a possible cause affidavit, on Feb. 21 Scorching Springs Village police Detective Mike Kliewer spoke to a female who lives on Segovia Generate who had filed a grievance pertaining to her handyman, determined as McConnell, who experienced been operating for her considering the fact that August 2022.
The woman reportedly identified her financial institution accounts experienced “numerous countless numbers of pounds” lacking. She pointed out she stored a box of checks to her personalized account and her small business account in her household and she found a number of publications of checks ended up lacking. She contacted her bank and acquired copies of statements and checks that experienced reportedly been cashed by McConnell.
She also found McConnell experienced used for credit history playing cards in her title that had been sent to her tackle, but she never ever obtained them. She said McConnell had “apparently intercepted” the mailed credit playing cards due to the fact he had obtain to her household and was at the residence regularly doing work.
McConnell reportedly activated 3 credit score accounts, together with two in December 2022 and 1 in August 2022.
The female furnished Kliewer with documentation of all the unauthorized purchases and cast checks she could acquire, but he famous the extent of the purchases and forgeries “span several jurisdictions in just the point out.”
The overall total of financial decline “within the jurisdiction of Hot Springs Village and Garland County” was calculated at $16,672.40. Kliewer was in a position to get online video surveillance of McConnell using 5 of the checks at the Incredibly hot Springs Village Walmart and obtained copies of 24 of the forged checks from Areas Financial institution in Warm Springs Village in McConnell’s name, in accordance to an affidavit.
