Cops: Elderly man lost thousands in tree-trimming scam

Two men are accused of bilking a 75-year-old Winter Park man out of tens of thousands of dollars for tree removal and foundation repair work that was never completed, police said.

One of the men, Kenneth Caron Jr., 42, was charged last year in Maitland with running a similar scam.

According to Winter Park police, a woman solicited the man to complete work on his home. Her son, John Anthony Hadden, 34, and Caron then started taking payments from the victim for work that was not done nor needed, police said.

Winter Park police Sgt. John Bologna did not have an exact figure but said it was between $20,000 and $100,000.

"It's unfortunate with the elderly, they are very trusting," Bologna said. "(The victim) trusted these individuals."

The investigation started in mid-March. After interviewing the victim, authorities uncovered the scam, Bologna said. Caron and Hadden were charged with second-degree exploitation of the elderly.

Caron, also charged with burglary of dwelling, is being held in the Orange County Jail on a $10,000 bond. Hadden was arrested last month and posted a $2,500 bond.

Caron was accused last summer of taking nearly $20,000 from an 83-year-old Maitland woman in another tree skimming scam. In that case, authorities alleged he approached the woman and said the trees were "too long" and had termites. He said they had to be cut down immediately because they violated city code.

He was charged with third-degree exploitation of the elderly. The case is still pending.

State corrections records show Hadden was sentenced in May to three years probation for trafficking stolen property.

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Cops: Elderly man lost thousands in tree-trimming scam