Preliminary Exam Set For Alleged Scam Artist

A 30-year-old man accused of stealing thousands from an elderly Chesterfield couple is scheduled for a preliminary exam Aug. 15 in New Baltimore.

The exam is set for 1:30 p.m. before 42-2 District Court Judge William Hackel III. 

Harvey Floyd Hood, formerly of New Haven and most recently living in Chesterfield, was formally arraigned Tuesday on two counts of larceny by false pretenses and one count of driving with a suspended license. The first charge is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, while the second is a 93-day misdemeanor upon conviction.

The arrest warrant was issued July 28, but the arraignment didn't take place until earlier this week due to Hood's extensive rap sheet and other pending cases. His criminal background spans 30 arrests–including 13 outstanding warrants for various crimes such as larceny by false pretenses, insufficient fund check cases and failing to appear in court for charges, police said.

Chesterfield couple lost thousands in alleged home repair scam

The most recent charges stem from May when police said as a deposit for home repairs that he never did. They've been unable to reach him since, township Detective Sgt. Deron Myers said.

During the initial investigation, officers discovered Hood was no longer living at the Omo Road address in New Haven that's on his driver’s license and were unable to determine his whereabouts, Myers said. 

But this month, the couple had been dining at Tin Fish in Fair Haven when they spotted Hood getting off a boat at the docks in front of the restaurant, noting it appeared he was "living the life," they told police.

Although he left before police arrived, they were able to give officers his license plate number and police said they found him July 27 on Joann Marie St. in Chesterfield, where he had been staying with a girlfriend.

According to police, an officer placed him under arrest without incident and found a driver's license and other identifications that did not belong to him in the car.