Man sent to jail for stealing from elderly Lewiston couple

LOGAN — A 39-year-old man has been sent to jail for stealing more than $52,000 from an elderly Lewiston couple. Brian M. Dodds was ordered to pay back the victims or face up to 20 years in prison.

Dodds was sentenced in 1st District Court Monday morning. He previously pleaded guilty to theft, a second-degree felony; and forgery, a third-degree felony. At the time, he agreed to begin paying back $25,000, since the bank reimbursed the victims the remaining amount.

Dodds hadn’t paid back any of the money yet but brought $5,000 with him. He told the court he was sorry and asked for a lighter jail sentence, explaining that he could then be able to pay back more.

Judge Thomas Willmore expressed frustration that Dodds had only a small amount of restitution so far. He said his criminal behavior has got to stop, after reviewing the 11 other convictions he had during the past 26 years. The crimes included burglary, stealing and vandalism.

The victim’s children told the court how their 83-year-old father originally hired Dodds to build a fence on their property in 2015. The defendant later broke into their home and stole three books of checks. During the following six months, he forged multiple checks and withdrew the $52,000 from the victim’s account.

The son and daughter explained how their father, who they described as a hard-working man, died before ever seeing Dodds pay back any of the money. They asked the court for the defendant to be sent to prison, saying they would rather see him behind bars without a life.

Judge Willmore sentenced Dodds to two consecutive terms of 0-5 and 1-15-years in prison. However, he stayed the sentence temporarily and ordered the defendant to serve up to one-year in jail. He explained that by holding the defendant in jail on work release, he can make him pay back the victims, or still send him to prison.

Dodds was taken into custody and booked into the Cache County Jail. He was ordered to appear again in court for a review hearing November 25.


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1 Comment

  • Kirby February 26, 2019 at 10:08 pm Reply

    We are currently filing in Small Claims court in Utah County against this person. I’ve heard that at least one other person is also making a claim against him.

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