A rural Scottsbluff man accused of defrauding Home Depot stores in Cheyenne and Scottsbluff with a merchandise scheme has agreed to be extradited to Wyoming.
69-year-old Laverne Meyer, also known as Vern Meyer, was lodged into the Scotts Bluff County Detention Center July 3 on a Laramie County warrant issued June 21 alleging felony theft in excess of $1,000, and a local felony charge of tampering with evidence.
According to court documents, a Home Depot corporate investigator met with Scottsbluff Police June 19, telling officers Meyer was the subject in multiple thefts dating back to May 17, 2023, and provided a flash drive with a powerpoint presentation, photos, videos, receipts and an Excel spreadsheet detailing the thefts.
The investigator said Meyer was going into Home Depot locations and purchasing items, then returning a day or two later empty-handed, grabbing items from store shelves and returning them for reimbursement using receipts from prior visits. The Home Depot employee said Meyer did the same in Cheyenne, and they were able to trace the activity back to the suspect through a store account, credit and debit cards in Meyer’s name. The search affidavit said a May 2024 tip from a Scottsbluff store employee about suspicious activity helped the corporate investigation that found as of June 14, 2024, there were a total of 35 documented incidents, 21 of them in Scottsbluff, with a total loss of $4,461.30.
Following a June 23 interview in which Meyer denied the allegations and said his returns involved items broken in the box or the wrong item, a search warrant was secured for Meyer’s home. During that activity the following day in which 15 items were seized, Meyer told officers he had moved several item to the shed of a friend’s home in Bayard, prompting application for a warrant in Morrill County.
None of the items sought were found during that search, however, the friend told an officer Meyer had been at the location about 20 minutes earlier and had removed a number of items. On June 26, Scotts Bluff County Sheriff Mark Overman emailed investigators saying an individual claimed he was selling items for Meyer, and there might be some others along a tree row north of Bayard. About a week later, Overman reported another individual claimed seeing items being dumped in a field with a tree row north of Bayard, and after Overman found the location, a Scottsbluff officer discovered a number items tied to the investigation.
Meyer was held with no bond on the Wyoming fugitive warrant and had an identity hearing scheduled for July 18, however, defense attorney Sterling Huff filed a waiver Thursday, and asked the court to enter an order without a hearing for immediate extradition to Laramie County.
Scotts Bluff County prosecutors also filed a motion to dismiss the evidence tampering charge without prejudice, which was granted. While court documents say Scottsbluff Police gave Meyer a citation for theft $1,500 to $4,999, no such charges were part of the court record as of late Thursday.
Officers also told Meyer he was trespassed from the Scottsbluff Home Depot, and that company officials wanted him trespassed from all other Home Depot locations as well.
