Man arrested after doing faulty repairs to Westport firetruck

Posted 6/14/18

Westport Police arrested a man who tried to swindle the Town of Westport out of $15,000 for faulty repairs to a town firetruck.

On Thursday, May 31, South Kingston, R.I., police arrested Thomas …

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Man arrested after doing faulty repairs to Westport firetruck

Posted

Westport Police arrested a man who tried to swindle the Town of Westport out of $15,000 for faulty repairs to a town firetruck.

On Thursday, May 31, South Kingston, R.I., police arrested Thomas Reardon, age 32, of 158 Larkin Pond Road (north), West Kingston, R.I., at the request of Westport Police. Westport Police had sought an arrest warrant for Mr. Reardon after investigators were told he had accepted more than $15,000 to repair a fire department engine pumper, disguised the defective area and later returned the truck without doing any repairs at all to the pumper truck.

The Westport Fire Department 1995 Emergency One Engine Pumper had been damaged during an August 2017 emergency call. The fire department sought an estimate from a former vendor named Ocean State Diesel, located on Larkin Pond Road. Mr. Reardon picked up the truck, which was leaking water, and brought it back to his former business address. Weeks later, he returned the truck after demanding he be paid for the repairs.

The repair involved an overhaul kit listed on Mr. Reardon’s repair quote for $10,478, along with $375 in freight costs from the vehicle manufacturer, along with $4,400 in labor. A couple days after the truck was returned, Westport fire personnel noticed the truck was leaking worse.

In December 2017, Mr. Reardon came to the fire station to view the pumper. He then allegedly admitted to fire personnel he had not repaired the truck at all. Fire personnel noticed he had allegedly covered the area with fresh spray paint to disguise visible rusty bolts on the affected area. 

Mr. Reardon allegedly apologized for not doing any repairs and asked for time to repay the money he had been paid by the Town of Westport. In one of several emails back and forth with the Fire Department, he stated that he was praying that the firefighters and the taxpayers grant him an extension to make things right.

Months later, he stopped answering his phone and emails. Westport investigators visited his business location and discovered it was vacant and abandoned. Neighbors told detectives he had left the building about two months earlier. As of June 5, he had not paid one cent to the Town.

The Rhode Island Secretary of State’s office listed Ocean State Truck & Diesel, LLC with that address and Thomas Reardon as the Resident Agent. In emails to the fire department, he stated he was the owner of the business.

On June 5, Mr. Reardon turned himself in to the Fall River Justice Center and his arraignment was postponed until June 12. 

“Our concern is that Mr. Reardon brought back an emergency tool used by firefighters to rescue people’s lives and protect property while knowing it was still broken,” said Westport Police Detective Jeff Majewski. “This wasn’t a situation where a mechanic did a poor repair job, this was a crime to pretend the truck was fixed and accept over $15,000 from public safety heroes who risk their lives on a regular basis.”

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