A Rushville man with a history of home improvement fraud in Marion and Grant counties is facing similar charges in Greene County after allegedly taking a large sum of money from a resident after doing work to her driveway.

Teddy Edward Paul Girton, 23, was arrested on a warrant on March 20 by Greene County Sheriff’s Department (GCSD) Deputy Caleb Sipes on charges of corrupt business influence, fraud, and theft.

The GCSD received a call from a resident on Dec. 7, 2022 stating that during the summer she used an unknown company from Indianapolis to complete work on her driveway. At that time, she said she owed the company $4,500. When she went to retrieve the money from her safe, she alleged two male individuals took all the cash – approximately $25,000 – from her safe while she wasn’t looking. One of the males was later identified as Girton.

Deputy Sipes was dispatched to an East McVille Road residence in Solsberry to speak with the victim. She explained that when she returned home on Dec. 7, she observed a pickup truck parked at a cemetery near her residence. She said she was going to check her mail but was still in her vehicle when an unidentified male approached her and asked “do you know who I am?”. According to the probable cause affidavit, she denied knowing who the man was; however, he identified himself as one who laid asphalt for her over the summer. He said he had returned to treat the asphalt. She said she believed the cost of treating the asphalt was included in the original cost, which she said was around $10,000.

One of the male subjects told the victim he was waiting for her to get home to receive payment. The male subjects entered her residence and informed her the cost would be $6,375 and a receipt would be provided. When she said she didn’t have that much money, one individual alleged they would accept $4,500 in cash. The victim said she went into the basement where her safe was, stating she would be right back but the subjects followed her. According to the probable cause, one of the males told her he’d made a mistake and the price was actually $8,500. She said she didn’t have that much money but was going to her safe. She said she had an envelope with approximately $15,000 inside and another one with $10,300 along with other envelopes with various amounts of cash. She then noticed the envelope with $15,000 and the one with $10,300 was gone. The individuals left her residence before she made it up the stairs from her basement.

On Jan. 30, she contacted the GCSD and informed dispatch one of the individuals who initially took $20,000 from her had returned to her residence. She had her daughter follow the vehicle. Her daughter was able to capture a few pictures of the vehicle. Those pictures combined with security footage gave officers the information needed to identify Girton as the suspect.

Deputy Sipes spoke with Girton on Feb. 1. Girton denied any connection to the incident as well as visiting the victim’s property on Jan. 30. He denied being in the Solsberry area on Dec. 7 and Jan. 30 stating he hadn’t been in the Bloomfield area in six months; however, cell phone records obtained through a search warrant showed him to be in the area both days.

In 2020, Girton was convicted of home improvement fraud when the victim is 60+ years in Grant County. In 2022, he was convicted of the same crime but this time it occurred in Marion County.

In Greene County, Girton has been charged with:

Corrupt business influence, a Level 5 Felony
Fraud with loss between $750 and $50,000, a Level 6 Felony
Theft where the property value is between $750 and $50,000, a Level 6 Felony

Girton was transported to Greene County Jail where his bond was set at $18,000 surety with 10% allowed. He posted $1,800 and was released later the same day.