Missouri Man Accused Scamming North Iowa Implement Deal Pleads Not Guilty, Trial Date Set
A Missouri man, charged with six counts of theft after being accused of defrauding a farm equipment dealer in north Iowa, will head to trial next month after pleading not guilty.
The Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) says 36-year-old Bryson Applegate of Shelbyville, Missouri, allegedly agreed to rent, lease, or buy six pieces of equipment from Leid View Tractors of Osage between February 2023 and March 2024. In January, owners of the dealership reported implements were stolen after it was discovered that Applegate took possession of the equipment, then turned around and sold it to someone else.
The criminal complaints also say Applegate did not have permission or the authority to sell any of the equipment and, in some cases, had not even made a single payment on them.
Applegate is charged with six counts of first-degree theft, each a Class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Applegate has entered not guilty pleas to each charge, with his trial scheduled to start on June 4th in Mitchell County District Court .
