MAN WANTED IN HOME-BUILDING SCAM ARRESTED
Thursday, January 10th, 2008 -- 2:47 PM
After months on the lam, The Clark County Sheriff's Department apprehended a Neillsville man accused in a house-building scam Thursday morning.Chief Deputy Jim Backus of the Clark County Sheriff's Department says 32-year-old Richard Harrison was taken into custody without incident at around 9 a.m. after the department received a tip that he was at a relative's house just outside of Neillsville.
According to court records, Harrison allegedly accepted $45,000 from a woman who was displaced after a fire destroyed her home. He was to build the shell of a new house, instead, court records show, he used the advance payment to buy a new T.V., furniture, a horse and ATV.
He never got around to building the house.
Harrison had admitted to the media that he was "on the run" as he tried to gather receipts and other evidence to prove he's not guilty of the charges.
Harrison, who is the owner of Harrison Recycling Center, faces 12 years in prison and could be fined $35,000.
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