An Ocklawaha landscaper has been arrested after allegedly ripping off a Del Webb Spruce Creek Golf and Country Club resident who paid him $750.
On Sept. 15, a 77-year-old Spruce Creeker reported that he was a victim of theft, according to an arrest report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. He had hired 58-year-old Allen James Deson to do some landscaping work at his residence on Aug. 16, but he never came back to work or refunded the money.
The resident explained he agreed to pay $750 up front for the cost of materials. When the job was done, he would pay Deson an additional $750 for a total price of $1,500. He wrote a cashier’s check for $750 on Aug. 17, which Deson cashed later the same day, the report said.
Over the next few weeks, Deson did not return to complete the work. He claimed he needed to take care of his father who had recently fallen ill, but he would try to do the work soon, the report said…