A Stone County man has agreed to repay the City of Calico Rock $87,500 and will serve three years of probation after admitting to not delivering equipment the city had paid for last year.
Charles "Chuck" Summers, 59, of Mountain View, entered a guilty plea to a charge of theft of property greater than $25,000 in Izard County Circuit Court. As part of his sentence, Summers was also ordered to pay fines and court costs totaling $2,940.
According to court documents, the City of Calico Rock had approved a bid from Summers’ business, Lights On Electric, in May 2024 for two generators and related equipment at an estimated cost of $113,225. Shortly after, the city issued a check for $87,500, which was deposited into Summers' bank account in Batesville.
City officials reportedly made repeated attempts to obtain proof that the equipment had been ordered or to secure a refund. Summers asked for extensions through 2025 but never provided documentation or tracking information. In June of that year, Summers promised to provide either tracking numbers or a refund by the month's end, but neither materialized.
In August 2025, the city filed a complaint in circuit court, leading to a settlement offer being presented on behalf of Lights On Electric, proposing installment payments. Around the same time, Izard County Sheriff Charley Melton contacted Summers by phone, asking for documentation to confirm that the generators had been ordered. Summers said he had no such records. The call ended due to a power outage, and multiple follow-up attempts by the sheriff went unanswered.
Had the case gone to trial and resulted in a conviction, Summers could have faced a prison sentence of five to 20 years and a fine of up to $15,000. Instead, his guilty plea avoided a trial and finalized the agreement for restitution.