STROUDSBURG - The Monroe County District Attorney’s Detective’s Division began an investigation on a former regional sales manager for Husqvarna in August.  A Husqvarna manager met with an investigator and provided him with documents showing that Dale Andrew took over 96 pieces of equipment, worth more than $118,000, belonging to them.

Andrew allegedly would go to different stores in his sales territory and transfer equipment to other stores, but when he would take the equipment, such as lawn tractors, chain saws, but the equipment would not make it to the other stores.  Investigators say Andrew would sell this equipment at a huge discount and keep the sales proceeds for himself.

Andrew would also order equipment from Husqvarna, telling the company the order was for a store and when that equipment would get to Andrew it would not make it to the store.

Andrew also targeted a fellow worker.  He asked another sales rep if he could use her two demo tractors valued at $7,400 each to show to a potential buyer. This sales rep complied, but never the tractors again.

Andrew opened his own business called “115 Sales and Service” located on Route 115 in Tunkhannock TWP. and sold Husqvarna equipment out of this business. Most of Andrews’ inventory was pure profit as the equipment was taken from Husqvarna.

He also sold Husqvarna equipment on EBAY with user name of “bubaloosjw”.

Mr. Andrew’s was able to keep Husqvarna in the dark about their missing equipment for a while by moving equipment around from store to store. Mr. Andrew’s also built up friendships with store managers (stores are independently owned) and would use that friendship to his advantage to obtain more equipment or to sell them equipment that he obtain from Husqvarna by deception. Mr. Andrew’s would tell store owners that the equipment was a repo and that they could buy it at a deep discount.

Andrew was tracked to Taunton Massachusetts.  He agreed to return to Pennsylvania and turn himself in, which he did on October 12.   He is free on $25,000.00 unsecured bail and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for November 1.