A Mountain Home gunsmith accused of receiving thousands of dollars in guns, gun parts and cash payments, not doing promised work and failing to return anything to customers was in Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday.
Gun owners from across the country have contacted the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the Arkansas Attorney General to report problems they have had with Cotter. In addition, users of a gun owners website have been actively discussing Cotter, missing guns, gun parts and advanced payments made for work not completed.
The owners allege Cotter, who does business under the name Investment Grade Firearms, had virtually cut off all communication with them.
Reports have come into the sheriff’s office from gun owners from at least 14 states scattered from coast-to-coast. Some report they have been waiting for up to four years for Cotter to complete promised work on their firearms.
Investigators from the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office have the complicated job of getting property back to rightful owners. A search warrant was served on Cotter’s residence July 31. The investigators were able to match property mentioned by owners from about 30 reports that had been filed with the sheriff.
Cotter was reported to have known where almost all of the property was located. An investigator with the sheriff’s office said an estimated 95 percent of the items still had owners’ names attached, and some packages had never been opened.
A relative of Cotter’s said she had sent back 12-13 boxes of items to people who had not yet filed reports with either the sheriff’s office or the office of the Attorney General and would supply a list of those names to investigators.
The sheriff’s office is still attempting to contact a victim whose property apparently came into Cotter’s hands in June 2014.
In incident reports from the sheriff’s office examined by KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot news owners were reporting about $32,000 in guns, gun parts and advance cash payments, and that is apparently no where near the total involved.
One police agency is Pennsylvania was reported to have sent Cotter firearms and parts for guns valued at almost $39,000.
A Baxter County Sheriff’s Office investigator said it will be a “nightmare” trying to determine restitution for owners who sent advance payments for requested work. If work had started on a weapon but not completed per agreement, the issue would be taken up in civil court. If money was sent and no work was done, it would likely be a criminal charge. Cotter has told investigators he is attempting to raise money to repay the gun owners.
The investigation continues and additional charges could be filed.
While some of the owners reached out to the sheriff’s office for help in reestablishing contact with Cotter, others sought to have their property and cash payments listed as stolen.
Cotter did report to customers at one point that delays in completing jobs had been caused by a number of factors — including health problems, injuries sustained when he was allegedly attacked by at least four people in June and a “flood” of work he received in 2017 and 2018.
Cotter was ordered to reappear in circuit court Sept. 12.
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