JOPLIN, Mo. —
A bad-check charge has been filed against a California man who also is being investigated in connection with taking money from two families to replace tornado-leveled homes in projects that other organizations now are working to complete.
The charge alleges that Clark Baxter, 58, of Dana Point, Calif., owner of Sustainable Design Inc., wrote an insufficient funds check on Oct. 28 for $6,255 to Herrman Lumber Co. in Joplin.
“The charge has been filed; we’ll need to find him and get him served so he can be brought to court,” said Dean Dankelson, Jasper County prosecutor.
He said his office will contact officials in California to follow up on the warrant.
“In any case like this, there would be an arrest, and the subject is taken to jail,” Dankelson said. “Then it would depend on whether he makes bond or not.”
If Baxter doesn’t bond out, he would be extradited to Jasper County to appear in court. If he does bond out, the bond would be forfeited if he did not make the local court appearance, the prosecutor said.
Bond has been set at $5,000.
Baxter also is under investigation by the Missouri attorney general’s office as a result of local complaints. Larry and Amy Jump and Megan Snider said their homes were left far from finished after they had given Baxter a total of nearly $120,000 for energy-efficient materials and systems to be used for the projects.
Baxter had offered to design two energy-efficient homes that were to be built primarily by volunteers organized by Relief Spark, a group formed after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. The Jumps said they gave Baxter more than $54,000 for materials and supplies to construct a “green” house at 2424 S. Joplin Ave. Snider said she gave him an estimated $64,000 for a similar project at 1820 S. New Hampshire Ave.
Baxter was in Joplin for the start of the two projects. He said he would return but apparently stayed in California, and stopped responding to communications from the Jumps, Snider and Sidney Ray, who heads Relief Spark. The Jumps and Ray both filed complaints with the Missouri attorney general’s office.
Amy Jump on Thursday said she had heard nothing from state investigators, but she had learned about the bad-check charge against Baxter.
“I hope they (lumber company) get their money,” she said.
The Jumps’ house had been left essentially a shell, and Amy Jump said she and her husband had found volunteers to finish installing wiring. She said Ray, with Relief Spark, said she is organizing volunteers to finish the project.
Ray agreed in telephone comments on Wednesday: “We’re focused on that house, and we’ve got the volunteers and funds lined up to finish it.”
Work has started, under the supervision of Samaritan’s Purse, on finishing Snider’s house.
“We’ve had people there for several days; we’re providing the labor and the materials to get it done,” said Stephen Bergen, case manager and volunteer coordinator.
Nanci Gonder, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office, said investigators still are working to contact Baxter in response to complaints.
No response
THERE WAS NO RESPONSE Thursday from Clark Baxter to telephone and email messages. His company’s website no longer includes information on what it called Project Joplin, an offer to do consulting design and material selection for up to 100 homes to replace those lost in the tornado.
May 2011 Joplin tornado
California man charged in wake of tornado ‘work’
- May 2011 Joplin tornado
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SLIDESHOW: One year later, One day of unity, updated
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Members of the Missouri National Guard were disciplined for looting in Joplin after the massive tornado last year, but the Guard refuses to release information about the incidents, citing an exemption from Missouri’s open records law.
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Nixa contractor accused of stealing from tornado victims
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- More May 2011 Joplin tornado Headlines
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