A man has been arrested in connection with a fraudulent landscaping scheme reported in Loomis last month.
On May 18, Placer County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a fraud complaint on South Walnut Street. A resident reported paying a deposit for landscaping services on May 2, but the individual who took the payment never returned to do the work.
The suspect initially identified himself as “Austin,” but investigators later confirmed his true identity as 34-year-old David Thomas Hitchman. He was already on probation and was tracked to the victim’s residence at the promised work time using data from his GPS ankle monitor.
According to the arrest report, Hitchman now faces multiple charges, including theft by false pretense, contracting without a license, committing a felony while on bail, and probation violation.
He remains in custody and is set to be arraigned on June 30 at 1 p.m. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office has stated the investigation is ongoing, and more victims have been identified in the area.
Anyone who believes they may have been defrauded by Hitchman is encouraged to call the investigations tip line at 530-889-7830.
