The body of Thomas Haskins was a day away from being cremated – and his closest kin didn’t even know he was dead.While arresting a man accused of swindling a Nappanee woman, Florida authorities discovered $30,000 worth of marijuana in his Orlando home, according to the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department.
The local woman initially reported the scam to the sheriff’s department, saying that a man, identified as Derick Cordero, 32, had tricked her into paying more than $4,000 in fraudulent closing fees for a timeshare property in Kissimmee, Fla., the sheriff’s department said.
After finding records that showed Cordero signed and cashed the woman’s check, Kosciusko County detectives contacted Florida law enforcement officials who obtained a warrant to search Cordero’s home.
Two Kosciusko County officers went to Florida, and along with law enforcement officers there, they raided Cordero’s home and arrested him Thursday.
They seized packages of marijuana valued at $30,000, as well as documents, computers and cellphones that will be analyzed to determine whether Cordero had other fraud victims, the sheriff’s department said.
On Tuesday, Cordero remained in custody in Florida on a preliminarily charge of felony marijuana possession with intent to sell or deliver. In Kosciusko County, he has a warrant for his arrest on a felony theft charge.
