(2-24-22) A Mercer County Grand Jury has indicted Jeffrey Dale Collingsworth (47) of St Marys on two 5th degree felony charges…including theft by deception and theft, beyond express/implied consent  .

Police allege Collingsworth bid on construction jobs at homes or businesses. Collingsworth allegedly wrote a contract and collected half of the estimate as a deposit. Collingsworth did not start or complete the projects and the contracts stated that the work would be completed within 60 days of signing the contract. Collingsworth allegedly wrote checks to the victims to pay their deposits back, but the checks didn’t clear the bank.

The police investigation has located ten victims at this time in Mercer, Auglaize, Shelby and Logan Counties. The total amount taken by Collingsworth is estimated to bearound $375,000.

Collingsworth is being held in the Mercer County Adult Detention Center with $100,000 (10%) bond pending a court appearance.

Anyone who was the victim of fraud by Collingsworth is encouraged to contact their local police department.

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