An Oakdale man tied to a home-repair scam in St. Paul's Como neighborhood was sentenced to one year of probation Thursday.

Blake G. Carter, 23, had been inside a bank trying to cash an elderly woman's $5,800 check when police caught up with him and two other suspects in Roseville last April.

The men were charged with theft-by-swindle after a review of their concrete repair work that afternoon was deemed to be "at best worth $200, including materials," according to complaints filed in Ramsey County District Court.

The woman wrote the check after initially balking at a request for a $6,100 payment.

A second suspect, Timothy D. Moore, 22, of Newport, pleaded guilty to theft-by-swindle and drug possession and was sentenced in November to 45 days in the county correctional facility. A month later, however, he was given an amended sentence of 75 days after he violated the terms of his probation, court records show.

Charges were dismissed last October against the third suspect, Stephen S. Tague, 48, of Sioux City, Iowa.

Last month, Carter entered an Alford plea allowing him to maintain his innocence while acknowledging the prosecution had sufficient evidence to convict him. A motion to withdraw that plea was rejected Thursday by District Judge George Stephenson.

The Roseville bank did not cash the woman's check.

ANTHONY LONETREE