Local Architect Arrested for Allegedly Passing Bad Check

Published March 8, 2013

Correction: Because of inaccurate information provided by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the reason for and circumstances of Baxter’s arrest in Dana Point were incorrectly stated in an earlier version of this article.

A local architect was arrested Thursday in Dana Point for allegedly passing a bad check in Missouri, where he also faces an investigation into allegations of defrauding tornado victims, according to the Missouri attorney general’s office.

Clark Baxter, 58, the founder of Sustainable Designs Inc. on Pacific Coast Highway in Dana Point, was arrested on a fugitive warrant and remained in jail as of Friday, according to county jail records.

According to an investigation by the Joplin (Mo.) Globe, Baxter was also involved with a local charity in the tornado-ravaged city and allegedly started taking money from storm victims with the promise he would rebuild their homes sustainably.

He told at least two residents -- who subsequently paid him tens of thousands of dollars -- their new homes would incur little or no utility costs and have little impact on the environment, according to the Globe.

Baxter has not yet been charged in connection with those complaints, but the investigation is ongoing, a Missouri official said Friday.

"We still have an active investigation and hope to file charges soon," said Nanci Gonder, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Attorney General's office.

Also in Missouri, Baxter has been charged with one felony count of passing a bad check worth more than $6,000 to a lumber company.

Attempts Friday to contact Baxter were unsuccessful. Phone numbers listed online for Sustainable Design Inc. were disconnected.