Stoddard County prosecutor to seek jail time for Hometown Holdings CEO Dickerson

Before he proposed a $10 million deal for downtown Cape Girardeau, Weaver Dickerson racked up well over $100,000 in bad checks and spent nearly a month in jail in 2007.

Now, Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Briney Welborn wants to see Weaver, whom he calls "a flim-flam man," behind bars.

Welborn intends to amend a court filing Monday to include new charges that Dickerson made a false affidavit and a false declaration when he signed an application for state economic development incentives. Weaver, 34, signed a document in July saying no one who had an ownership in Hometown Holdings Group LLC was under indictment for a felony or was on probation or parole.

According to state statutes, a false declaration is made when a person writes a false statement and it is submitted with the purpose of misleading a public servant. The crime of making a false affidavit is committed when a person lies about a material fact in an affidavit.

The Missouri Department of Economic Development initially approved $2.05 million in state aid for the proposed $10 million dental and vision care cooperative, planned for three buildings near the corner of Broadway and Fountain Street.

The department learned later that Weaver was on probation for writing bad checks and withdrew its authorization last week. The department then asked Welborn's office to review the matter to investigate possible violations of Dickerson's parole.

Welborn believes Dickerson has done just that.

"What he's done has just blown me away," Welborn said of Dickerson. "The worst thing is people put faith in him. It's got to come to an end sometime."

Asking for five years

Welborn's motion asks Circuit Judge Stephen Sharp to revoke Dickerson's probation and that the original sentence of five years in jail be imposed. The hearing is set for Jan. 19 in Stoddard County.

Welborn says in the motion that Dickerson violated his probation when he executed a company certification in connection with a $750,000 Action Fund Loan application.

Dickerson, who could not be reached for comment Thursday, has said he was an employee of the company, not an owner. The motion says that at the time Dickerson signed the document, he was president and one of 10 who owned 10 percent interests in the company. Each of those 10 were listed as capital investors in the amount of $250,000 each.

Welborn said Dickerson belongs in jail for what he's done.

"He comes into downtown Cape and makes big promises about bringing in jobs and renovating buildings," Welborn said. "What he's doing is destroying people's hopes and dreams."

The prosecutor's role in the case ends in January, when his replacement, Russell Oliver, takes over. Welborn, a Democrat, was unseated by the Republican in November.

26 days in jail

Dickerson's propensity for writing bad checks dates back at least four years. Court documents paint a picture of Dickerson as a man who, for whatever reason, has not made car payments or paid hospital bills or state taxes.

Dickerson spent 26 days in jail in May 2007, at first in Stoddard County and later in Graves County, Ky. Dickerson was arrested May 2 for writing $96,721 in bad checks and was held at the Stoddard County Jail on $25,000 bond until May 19, according to jail administrator Craig Bolin.

That's when he was extradited to the Graves County Jail, where court documents show he was wanted for theft by deception. The criminal complaint from that case says that on July 20, 2006, Dickerson wrote a check to Pirtle Farms Inc. for $27,000 "knowing that it would not be honored" by the bank and that it was refused for insufficient funds.

Dickerson was in jail for eight days at that time before he was released by a Kentucky judge. That judge sentenced Dickerson to 90 days in jail but reduced the sentence to eight days, or time served, after Dickerson was able to pay restitution and court costs.

He also has other court cases brought against him by creditors seeking payment, including the state of Missouri. A review of court cases shows that, Saint Francis Medical Center filed a lawsuit against him and was issued a $1,336 judgment in August 2007. In May 2008, Ford Motor Credit Co. sued him for $19,604 -- and was issued a judgment -- when Dickerson failed to make vehicle payments.

In two cases, Dickerson was taken to court by the Missouri Division of Employment Security for unpaid state taxes as it related to his TREM Recycling LLC. In June 2008, a judgment was entered in the amount of $3,018 in unpaid state taxes and in May 2009 in the amount of $2,412.

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-36412

Pertinent address:

325 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, MO