A Coffee County man was indicted 14 times by a grand jury last month for allegedly conning multiple individuals by selling numerous pieces of John Deere equipment that they never received and that he did not own. According to the indictments, the defendant, Corey James Carelock, obtained over $165,000 in the scam.
The indictments claim the acts were committed between February and May this year, with Carelock receiving over $5,000 for each occurrence.
Each accusation charged Carelock with theft by deception, stating that he unlawfully obtained the money “with the intent to deprive said owner of said property by deceitful means, in that he did intentionally create an impression of fact that was false.”
The following counts each list the dates the alleged theft took place, amounts received, and equipment Carelock claimed to be selling:
February 11; John Deere 2630 GPS monitor; $6,200
February 23; John Deere 3000 receiver and a John Deere 2360 display; $14,500
February 23-February 25; John Deere Starfire 3000 GPS Globe; $7,500
March 4; John Deere 4640 GPS monitor and John Deere 3000 Starfire receiver; $18,000
March 23; John Deere 2630 GPS monitor; $8,100
March 24; John Deere Starfire 6000 receiver globes (2); $18,000
April 15; John Deere 2630 GPS monitor; $7,000
April 15; John Deere 4640 GPS monitor; $6,500
April 20; John Deere 2630 GPS screen; $6,050
April 21; John Deere 2630 GPS monitor; $6,050
May 5; John Deere 4640 GPS screen and a John Deere 6000 RTK globe; $15,500
May 13; John Deere 2630 GPS screen; $6,800
May 16; John Deere 2630 GPS screen; $6,500
May 12-May 17; $25,500
The Coffee County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, with Carelock arrested on his first theft charge at the end of May. He was first indicted in June for the same offense, obtaining $15,000 from an individual who was under the impression that he was buying a John Deere GPS system from Carelock. The additional counts were handed down as more evidence and information were discovered.
According to court documents, Carelock was released from the Jeff Davis County Jail after spending four days in custody on a theft by taking charge just days before his Coffee County arrest. He was granted a bond in Jeff Davis on May 13 and was booked into the local jail on May 19.
Carelock was denied bond in June and has been in custody at the Coffee County Jail since his arrest.
A conviction on one count of theft by deception carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison.