DYER COUNTY, TN – June 26, 2025 — Authorities are asking for the public’s help following the arrest of Matthew L. Ray, a 44-year-old Dyersburg resident accused of running a fraudulent trailer sale scheme.
Ray was taken into custody on June 25 by the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office and charged with theft over $1,000 after allegedly defrauding a local businessman out of $2,500.
According to investigators, Ray used a photo of a 16-foot Big Tex trailer to advertise a sale to multiple residents. On June 13, he accepted a $2,500 payment from a buyer in Newbern, promising delivery by June 17. When the trailer was never delivered, the buyer reported the incident on June 19.
Authorities later discovered that the photo Ray used was stolen from Wright Trailers, a dealership in Seekonk, Massachusetts, where the trailer is listed for $8,595. Ray has no known connection to the dealership or the actual trailer.
Ray is currently being held on a $75,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in General Sessions Court on July 3, 2025, at 9 a.m.
Sheriff Jeff Box noted that other victims may be involved and encouraged anyone who may have been defrauded by Ray to contact local law enforcement or the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office at (731) 285-2802.
