Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Fraud charges have been levied against Jason Barnum, a Gillette man who allegedly obtained property by false pretenses from two separate victims in Crook County. Barnum has been collared for similar crimes elsewhere in the state, having been sentenced to up to 13 years in prison for defrauding the Boy Scouts and a 76-year-old woman out of $150,000 in Campbell County; he reportedly also has pending charges in Wright and Weston County.
On February 21, Moorcroft Police Department was notified of the first incident. In his report, the officer who responded says he recognized Barnum’s name from numerous news reports in Campbell County.
The incident allegedly involved a Moorcroft resident, who provided a work order signed by Barnum for work on her house, including painting multiple rooms. The victim provided a down payment of $500 to Barnum at his request.
The officer viewed a series of text messages between Barnum and the victim in which he tells her he will be moving the project start date to after Christmas. According to court reports, this start date was then moved to January 8, but Barnum texted on January 9 to claim he was sick.
On January 13, he allegedly claimed he had a sick child and still could not start and said he would refund the deposit if he could not make it the next day. On January 17, Barnum allegedly used the excuse he needed to take a child to Casper for an appointment and agreed to a complete refund if he did not begin on January 20.
According to court reports, he did not turn up and said he had “lost track of time” and was getting a tire repaired. If the victim wanted a refund, Barnum allegedly said he would hand deliver it on January 23.
On January 21, according to court reports, the victim texted Barnum to ask if an article in the newspaper was about him. Barnum allegedly admitted it was and said he had mailed a refund to the victim.
The victim allegedly stated that, if she had not received a money order by January 27, she would take the matter to an attorney. Barnum agreed to meet her at his bank on January 28.
That morning, however, the victim allegedly found out Barnum did not have an account at the bank as he claimed and that she would be filing a report.
Information provided by the Campbell County Attorney’s Office led the officer to believe that Barnum’s actions in this situation followed his “pattern of obtaining money from people under false pretenses with intent to defraud”. This pattern allegedly involves accepting a project, requesting a deposit and then continually making excuses and finding ways not to begin the job.
A Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a second case in Crook County on May 9, involving a different victim. In the second case, communication with Barnum allegedly began in October, when he came to the victim’s residence to provide an estimate for work to be done.
The estimate was $6178 and the victim signed a contract on November 12 and gave Barnum a deposit of $3214, as Barnum had allegedly required a 50% down payment.
The excuses began on November 24, when Barnum allegedly claimed he had ordered shingles that would take two weeks for delivery; he later stated they had been delayed by at least another week. On December 18, according to court reports, he said he would not be able to start work until after the holidays; on January 2, he claimed the weather would not allow him to begin.
The victim allegedly did not hear from Barnum again until the end of January, when he said he would start work on February 17. He postponed on February 19, again due to weather, and postponed again on February 24.
Barnum faces two counts of obtaining property by false pretenses, one a misdemeanor involving property valued at less than $1000 and the other a felony involving property valued at more than $1000.
