A dispute over an outboard motor in 2022 that was never delivered has been turned into a felony court case against a Des Moines, Iowa man.
A Rio Arriba grand jury indicted Terry Denney, 62, on a charge of fraud between $500 and $1,500 on May 21 with an arraignment set to take place via Zoom. When Denney didn’t show on June 16, District Judge Jason Lidyard issued what appears to be a nation-wide warrant for his arrest.
Lidyard wrote on the bench warrant form, “Will Extradite: ANYWHERE.”
The summons mailed to Denney was not returned to the court, but that also does not mean it was delivered or received.
Charges were never filed in magistrate court but the victim, Pat Smith, of Tierra Amarilla, filed a civil complaint against Denney in 2022 in magistrate court for the alleged theft. That case never had a hearing.
“Pat Smith sent Terry Denney a $700 money order for purchase of 50 hp Mercury Outboard Motor,” Smith wrote in the civil complaint dated Nov. 22, 2022. “Terry Denney cashed the $700.00 money order and did not provide or produce the 50 hp Mercury outboard motor.”
According to the grand jury indictment, the theft took place between Aug. 8 and Sept. 2, 2022, and Denney “made a promise he had no intention of keeping to Pat Smith, intending to deceive or cheat Pat Smith and because of the promise and Pat Smith’s reliance on it, the defendant obtained $700.”
The two people who testified to the grand jury were Smith and Rio Arriba County Sheriff Lorenzo Aguilar.
No other court dates are set as Denney is wanted on the warrant.