Missouri man accused of defrauding Osage farm equipment dealer pleads not guilty

OSAGE — A Missouri man charged with six counts of theft after being accused of defrauding a farm equipment dealer in Mitchell County has pleaded not guilty.

36-year-old Bryson Applegate of Shelbyville Missouri allegedly agreed to rent, lease, or buy six pieces of equipment from Leid View Tractors of Osage between August 2023 and March of last year, with a criminal complaint stating that Applegate took possession of the equipment, then turned around and sold it to someone else.

The complaint states that Applegate did not have permission or the authority to sell any of the equipment and in some cases had not even made a single payment on them.

Applegate was charged with six counts of first-degree theft, each a Class C felony punishable by up to ten years in prison.

Applegate recently entered not guilty pleas to each charge in Mitchell County District Court, with his trial scheduled to start on June 4th.