A con man whose schemes made victims out of dozens of people in three states was sentenced today to 29 months in prison.

   Superior Court Judge Jerome Leveque sentenced 60-year-old Ronald G. Stratton to the high end of the range after a jury convicted him last month of 12 counts of theft by deception.

   The new convictions added to Stratton's eight convictions for grand theft in Kootenai County in 1995 and nine convictions for theft in 1997 in Missoula.

   Stratton placed advertisements promising custom carpentry work. He would make a deal, deliver promises and skip out with the money, according to court records.

   Read previous coverage here.