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FAIRMONT -- A 53-year-old Fairmont man is facing felony charges in Martin County.
Craig Robert Olson has been charged with three counts of theft by swindle, each of which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
According to the complaint:
On Oct. 4, a Fairmont police detective met with a husband and wife in the lobby of the Martin County Law Enforcement Center. The couple indicated that on Aug. 4, 2015, they had met with Olson, the owner of Fairmont Monument Company to purchase a headstone for their burial plot. Olson agreed to create a headstone for them.
The couple indicated the cost quoted by Olson was about $4,000, and that he required a down payment of $1,948. The victims then wrote him a check for that amount, and Olson said he would not cash the check until he had submitted proof of the headstone to the couple and they approved the design. They said Olson indicated it would be about two weeks before a completed proof would be ready for review, and that he would have the headstone completed and in place at the cemetery by November 2015.
The couple said they never received a proof of their headstone from Olson to approve. Despite Olson's assurance he would not cash the check until the headstone proof was approved, records indicate the check was deposited on Aug. 6, 2015, two days after it was written. The couple became concerned when months passed and no proof had been provided.
The couple then became more concerned after November 2015 had passed and there was no headstone. They made numerous calls to Olson, and left numerous messages. Olson returned one of the calls and said he was on the road and did not have time to talk. Olson never called them after that date.
The couple indicated they had reported this incident to the Fairmont Police Department in April 2016. The detective looked at records and found a report that indicated that an officer had made contact with Olson in August 2016, and Olson indicated he would call the couple and work something out. No call from Olson was ever received.
The couple went back to Fairmont Monument Company in April or May 2016 and discovered that Olson was no longer in business, according to a person who was renting the space. They also were told they were not the only people stopping in to try and get money back from Olson for payment on a headstone.
The couple said they paid a $75 fee to file a Conciliation Court claim against Olson. Olson did not show up for the hearing, and they were awarded a judgment in their favor, but they had yet to receive any payment.
Two other people described similar stories to police.
On Oct. 6, 2016, the detective went to the location of Fairmont Monument and observed the two signs that read "Fairmont Monument" had been removed, and the business was locked, though store hours were still on the front door. Also on the front door was a business card that read "Fairmont Monument Company," with contact information listed for another individual.
The detective called the number and spoke with a man who indicated that about four years prior he began to rent the back area of the Fairmont Monument Company from the owner. At the time, Olson was the operator of Fairmont Monument Company.
The man said he was aware that Olson had not been filling monument orders over the last several years. He also said that numerous individuals over the past 12 to 18 months had come into the shop to attempt to contact Olson, saying he would not return their phone calls or deliver monuments as promised.
The man was then asked by the owner of Fairmont Monument Company if he would be willing to take over the business. He agreed, but was advised not to take any monument orders for about a year until the civil actions against Olson were settled.
The man said Olson now worked at a boat dealership in Okoboji, Iowa. He said he had come to the shop one day in April 2016 and found that all of Olson's materials were gone, as well as all Fairmont Monument Company documents and files.
On Oct. 11, 2016, the detective completed a scheduled interview with Olson at the Law Enforcement Center. Olson was read his rights, and agreed to answer questions. During the interview, the detective explained about the people listed in the case file, and provided a brief overview of each order and amount owed to Olson.
Olson said it sounded correct, and acknowledged taking orders from all of the people, and that he did not fill any of them as of October 2016. Olson also said he had every intention of paying back each of the people, and he was working on borrowing the money from his father.
The detective asked Olson why he did not just give the money back once he realized he could not fill the orders, and Olson said the money had already been spent and he did not have any to give back, as it had been put toward other orders. He agree the situation was "taking from Peter to pay Paul." Olson said he began not to call back the customers because it was too much to bear at times.