Colorado Springs man who ran a fencing business is in custody, has a history of theft and lawsuits

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - For months, KKTV 11 News has been hearing from people who tried to do business with a Colorado Springs man named Gary Gardner and had a horrible experience.

On Thursday, KKTV 11 News learned Gardner was taken into custody in Douglas County.

Some people who have reached out claim Gardner, the owner of Spartan Fence Company, was hired to do work, paid and then ghosted them.

KKTV 11 News started investigating Gardner in July and learned there were criminal charges he was facing for theft and crimes against at-risk persons, a class 4 felony. When 11 News confronted Gardner at his home in July, he claimed he plans on reimbursing everyone. He also claimed he is suffering from two tumors in his brain. When 11 News asked for any type of medical documentation to prove he is being treated for tumors, Gardner didn’t provide any.

As of Thursday night, Gardner had multiple charges filed against him for theft in Pueblo and El Paso Counties. At that time, he wasn’t facing a charge for crimes against at-risk persons. However, an old theft case from Douglas County was reopened. Gardner had pleaded guilty in Douglas County to theft on May 21, 2021 and one year of probation was part of his sentence.

In arrest papers for Gardner that 11 News obtained, the investigator created a timeline for one case. The affidavit says the victim signed a contract for work on a new fence to start on Feb. 21, 2022, and end Feb. 22, 2022. The victim claims Gardner never showed up and she had trouble contacting him multiple times from Feb. 26 through March 2. On March 2, Gardner allegedly sent a text claiming he had knee surgery. On March 21, the victim sent an Instant Message saying she wanted the deposit back, about $4,300. On April 22, the victim received a check but it bounced.

On April 27, the victim received a letter from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department stating an attempt was made on April 15 to serve the suspect a summons, but the deputy was told by the suspect that the case was settled out of court. The person serving the suspect never confirmed that with the victim.

Gardner had missed multiple court dates before he was booked into the Douglas County Jail.

The arrest papers add Gardner was found guilty in 2006 of theft against an at-risk adult. Gardner and his company have been sued at least 11 times since 2019, according to the affidavit.

Multiple people tell 11 News each time they tried to file a police report for Gardner and his business, they were told it was a civil matter.

Gardner has never taken a phone call from KKTV 11 News. He stopped communicating over email and despite multiple visits to his home since July, he isn’t responding to our request for more information on why he is skipping out on court. His next court appearance is schedule for Oct. 6.

If you feel you were a victim of Gardner and you’re willing to talk on camera about your experience, please email news@kktv.com.

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