More theft charges filed against Libby man

Famed poet Robert Frost is credited with popularizing the saying, “Good fences make good neighbors.”

But for a number of Lincoln County residents, promises made to build such structures were allegedly not kept.

A Libby man facing charges he took thousands of dollars to build a fence for a local couple but failed to do the work was back in court on July 31 to face more theft allegations.

Steven Austin Quimby, 25, appeared in Lincoln County District Court on May 1 and pleaded not guilty to three charges, including two felonies for theft and check forgery. The other, a misdemeanor, was for deceptive business practices.

An amended information was filed on July 20. It accused Quimby of four more felony theft charges. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges, including a total of five for theft, and one each for check forgery and one for deceptive business practices, a misdemeanor.

Lincoln County Deputy Attorney Jeffrey Zwang is prosecuting the cases that allege Quimby took nearly $29,0000 from five county residents to either build or mend fences, but never did the work.

The case first began when Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Detective David Hall got a call on March 1 from a couple living on Yellowtail Road in Libby. The man said they hired Quimby and wrote him a check for $4,197 for a deposit to build a fence on their land. The check was made out to Quimby Fence LLC. According to the man who hired Quimby, the defendant said he would begin work on Feb. 13, 2023. When the date came and went with Quimby allegedly not showing up to begin the job, he texted Quimby,

On Feb. 22, the accused messaged the couple and said he would be up on Friday, Feb. 24 to begin the job. The couple said Quimby never showed up and they emailed him on Feb. 20 and Feb. 24, saying they wanted their money returned.

The man also said they discovered Quimby had allegedly altered the check his wife had written him. They said Quimby scratched out “Fence LLC” and initialed the woman’s name to make it appear she had done it herself. They said Quimby allegedly added his first name, Steven, in front of his last name and cashed the check at a bank in Libby.

On March 2, the couple came to the sheriff’s office and met with Det. Hall. They gave the investigator copies of their communications with Quimby and the check. Hall then called Quimby and they spoke.

According to the charging document, Quimby said he knew about the fencing job and the check he received. Quimby said the couple wanted a refund because he had some family issues going on. He allegedly told them he would sell the fencing materials or give it back. He said he was going to return the fencing materials to the couple because that’s what they wanted.

Quimby allegedly told Det. Hall the fencing materials were at his fiance’s grandparents’ house. When he asked if his business was licensed with the State of Montana, Quimby said it was. He also said he bought the fencing materials in Kalispell at a cost of $3,900 and had a receipt for them. Det. Hall asked Quimby if he had a business banking account and the defendant allegedly said he ran everything through his personal account because of tax reasons.

Quimby allegedly said he changed the name on the check before cashing it. Det. Hall told Quimby they needed to sit down and, “get this squared away.” The investigator gave Quimby his name and phone number at work and asked him to contact him the next week.

Det. Hall said as of March 9, Quimby hadn’t answered his phone calls or returned messages. Hall wrote in his report that he researched Quimby Fence LLC and found that the defendant allegedly registered his business with the state on March 6 after speaking with him.

Quimby was later arrested. He posted $25,000 bail on April 14.

After the initial case filing, four more people came forward between April 12 and to say Quimby hadn’t completed work that he accepted $24,760 to do. Two of the alleged victims are from Eureka while one is from Troy and the other from Rexford.

His next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 10.

The maximum penalty for a convictions on theft ($1,500-$5,000) and forgery ($1,500-$5,000) is three years in the Montana State Prison. A conviction on the misdemeanor charge could result in a county jail term of six months.