COOPERSTOWN _ In state Supreme Court of Otsego County on Wednesday, the son of a missing Laurens man pleaded innocent at arraignment to six counts of second-degree forgery, as well as one count each of second-degree grand larceny and first-degree scheme to defraud.
Matthew M. Arbas, 38, of Laurens, who was indicted this month, appeared before state Supreme Court Justice Michael Coccoma.
Arbas is the son of Laurens farmer, Herman Arbas, 71, who apparently has been missing since 2000, although he was not reported missing until 2005.
The son now lives on his father's 384-acre farm, which state police have searched repeatedly, looking for the elder Arbas' body.
The charges against Matthew Arbas relate to him stealing from his father, according to Otsego County District Attorney John Muehl. According to the indictment, the incidents occurred in 2002, 2003 and 2004 in Otsego County, mostly in the towns of Oneonta and Laurens.
Matthew Arbas, who is represented by attorney David Taylor, was released on a $40,000 bail bond.
Coccoma ordered that he not leave the state without permission from the court and said he would schedule a pre-trial conference in about 45 days. Coccoma did grant Arbas permission to visit family at Virginia Beach, Va., from Nov. 26 to Nov. 30.
In January 2007, Arbas admitted to abducting a Navy pilot in Virginia in 2005. He was sentenced to a year in jail and has served that sentence.
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