‘Little House on the Prairie' event organizer accused of bouncing $64k check

A Little House on the Prairie 50th anniversary event in Farmington did not meet the mark for fans.

Now, the event organizer is charged with first-degree larceny.

Jack Bishop of Pittsfield, Illinois, is accused of writing a bad check for almost $64,000 to a Milford catering company he hired to feed 650 attendees for the two-day event.

The owner of Forks and Fingers Catering said Bishop’s check bounced twice.

“It was just so traumatic and literally with a figure that size, we’re, I think, just now over the repercussions of it,” owner Stephanie LeFrancois said.

LeFrancois feels bad about Bishop’s arrest and wishes he had been upfront with her about whatever his situation was for not having the money.

She said if that were the case, he wouldn’t be behind bars.

“A lot of excuses. I mean, it got to the point where we no longer believed him. ‘I need to transfer funds. My father’s sick,’” LeFrancois said.

Bishop owns event production company Gravel Road Markets that hosted this event and others around the country.

He made an appearance in a Milford courtroom Thursday, but did not enter a plea.

His attorney, Vincent Fazzone, told NBC CT Responds, “He’s an upstanding member of his community, and he is innocent of this charge.”

There’s a warrant out for Bishop’s arrest in Pennsylvania, accusing him of bouncing a check to a company there for more than $20,000.

Fazzone did not know about those allegations.

NBC CT Responds was the first to report on fans’ frustrations with the Little House on the Prairie anniversary event this summer.

There were allegations of hours-long lines, disorganization and misrepresentations.

Fans traveled from near and far and said they did not get what they paid for.

They’ve banded together on Facebook, sharing what they describe as sour experiences from Bishop’s events here and elsewhere.

Now, some attendees tell us they’re happy to see some accountability.

“Mr. Bishop really underestimated the Little House on the Prairie fans. I think he thought he could get away with what he had been doing for a while,” said Ana Donlan, who traveled from Wilmington, North Carolina to attend.

When NBC CT Responds reached out to Bishop in the fall, he said he was grateful for the “hundreds of positive messages and comments” from those who had a memorable experience.

“There was supposed to be tenting for food. It was supposed to be covered. We showed up and he didn’t even have tables set up,” LeFrancois said.

The caterer said she witnessed some of the chaos from that weekend and is thankful for the support of the event attendees.

“What is happening is awful. They are going to think this is how we run our business. They paid for an experience, and I don’t want to be looped in with this person,” she said.

Bishop remains in prison in Bridgeport and hasn’t made bail or entered a plea.

“I don’t expect restitution but want to stop him from doing this to someone else,” LeFrancois said.