A Dilworth man wanted on theft and swindle charges is in jail in Papillion, Neb.
Steven Harold Anderson, 49, was arrested at his sister's home in Papillion on an Otter Tail County, Minn., warrant filed in April. He is accused of swindling a Fergus Falls dealership out of $100,000 worth of vehicles. Police received an anonymous tip Sunday with his description and location.
Anderson acquired a 2004 Lincoln Navigator worth $60,000 and a 2004 Ford Excursion valued at $45,000 from Nelson Ford in November, using a false name, court documents state. He promised his company he would pay for the vehicles but no payments were made, court documents say. The vehicles were later recovered, one in Nebraska and the other at the Fargo airport.
Nebraska authorities arrested Anderson on the first Otter Tail County warrant in January, but he was released on $5,000 bond after promising to return for an extradition hearing Feb. 23.
Otter Tail authorities are expected to pick up Anderson in the next few days.
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If they do not pick up Anderson within a week, the Sarpy County (Neb.) Sheriff's Department will call Morton County authorities in Mandan, N.D., where Anderson also has a warrant.
Papillion police will release Anderson if he is not picked up in a reasonable amount of time, since there are no charges against him in that state, Papillion police Sgt. Tim Hanson said.
The North Dakota warrant stems from a probation violation in Morton County, where Anderson had two similar theft convictions in 1996.
Anderson pleaded guilty to those charges, saying he bought two vehicles using worthless checks under an alias, court documents state.
Anderson also faces charges in Clay County for using a Dilworth woman's credit card information to make $15,000 worth of charges in 2003, court records state.
Anderson befriended the woman, a Becker County Jail employee, while serving a sentence that stemmed from a 2002 arrest in Detroit Lakes, Minn., for forgery charges, according to court documents.
Anderson told the woman he was working undercover for the federal government.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Dawn Peake at (701) 241-5557
