Fort Dodge man sentenced for forgery scheme across Bomgaars stores

A Fort Dodge man will spend up to five years in prison after investigators traced more than $7,300 in unauthorized Bomgaars charges across five stores in central and northwest Iowa, a case that ended in Buena Vista County District Court.

Duke Davis, 40, was sentenced May 1 after pleading guilty to one count of forgery, a Class D felony. Buena Vista County Attorney Paul Allen prosecuted the case, keeping the fraud case in the local court system even though the alleged purchases spanned multiple communities.

The investigation began Jan. 8, when Storm Lake police were alerted to suspicious charges tied to a local business account. Authorities later determined that the thefts dated back to early December and involved five Bomgaars locations. Investigators say Davis was no longer employed by the business whose account he used, but entered Bomgaars stores and charged merchandise to that former employer’s account without authorization.

Police also said Davis forged another employee’s signature during the transactions. The total loss was reported at more than $7,300, a figure that reflects how quickly repeated retail fraud can spread before a pattern is caught.

Additional court reporting showed Davis was booked into the Buena Vista County Jail on March 23 after warrants were issued. He had previously been held in Webster County. Before the plea and sentencing outcome, Davis faced three felony counts: ongoing criminal conduct, forgery and second-degree theft.

The case underscores how a suspicious charge at one store can lead to a broader criminal investigation across county lines. In this instance, Storm Lake police investigators followed the paper trail from a single business account to a series of purchases at Bomgaars stores, then handed a felony case to Buena Vista County District Court for sentencing.