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On Tuesday, June 13, Norwalk resident Melanie Ham was arrested for defrauding a dealership, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office announced on Friday, June 30.
Ham's arrest stemmed from an investigation that began on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, when a Putnam County sheriff's deputy was sent to a dealership within the county to take a complaint regarding a fraudulent transaction.
According to the Sheriff's Office, Ham had traded in a car and in return received a check for its value, which was much more than the equity she held in the vehicle.
Investigators then began working on the case and found that Ham had sent in checks to the bank that held her loan on the car knowing that these checks would bounce.
She then timed her appearance at the dealership so that the bank would not yet know that the checks had bounced, and the dealership was told that her payoff was much lower than it was, sheriff's deputies said.
Authorities then made numerous unsuccessful attempts to get Ham to turn herself in. Eventually, police applied for an arrest warrant, which was issued by the Town of Carmel Court.
Ham is charged with third-degree grand larceny. She was arraigned in court and then released on her own recognizance as a result of bail reform laws, sheriff's deputies said. She will return to court at a future date.
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