A man who Omaha police accuse of swindling an elderly man out of thousands of dollars is on the run.
Police say Edward L. Mason Jr., 48, last week visited the Omaha home of an 80-year-old man and said he had once worked on the roof, said Officer Jacob Bettin, a police spokesman.
The victim had had roof work done and let Mason in to check on it.
Mason told the victim that there was a hole in the roof and that insulation had been damaged by a squirrel, Bettin said. He told the victim he could fix the problems for $7,000.
The damage report was not true, Bettin said, and Mason does not work for a roofing company.
The victim wrote a check that Mason cashed at a bank about 20 minutes later, Bettin said.
Mason, wanted in Omaha on a charge of felony theft by deception, is also wanted in Des Moines for two counts of larceny; in Minneapolis, for fraud; and in Davenport, Iowa, for a parole violation, Bettin said.
Though Bettin said Mason has ties to surrounding states, detectives believe Mason is now in Omaha.
Bettin asked anyone who knows where Mason is to call Major Crimes Unit detectives at 402-444-5657 or Omaha Crime Stoppers at 402-444-7867.
Contact the writer:
402-444-3106, emerson.clarridge@owh.com
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