Missouri man charged with defrauding Osage farm equipment dealer loses motion to dismiss case

OSAGE — A Missouri man charged with six counts of theft after being accused of defrauding a farm equipment dealer in Mitchell County has lost his motion to dismiss the case.

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 had pleaded not guilty to the charges, but in early July, his attorney filed a motion to dismiss the charges, stating that Applegate was facing double jeopardy in facing similar charges in this case in Knox County Missouri. District Judge Chris Foy in a ruling issued last week denied the motion to dismiss, saying the Iowa Constitution provides that “no person shall after acquittal be tried for the same offense.”

Applegate’s trial is scheduled to start on September 24th in Mitchell County District Court.