A Cedartown-area man was released after his arrest on a $13,000 bond after it was reported he spent more than $3,900 for personal items on a credit card he was supposed to be using to buy materials for a repair job on a local property.
Warrants were issued and the Sheriffs Office carried out on May 6 for the arrest of Jerry Wayne Short, 39, of 193 Persons Road, was charged with 10 counts of felony financial transaction card fraud after a report was filed that he had spent $3,905.81 over the course of months from October 2020 when he started a repair job on a Fletcher Street property through the end of the job as it was wrapping up earlier in the year in January.
According to reports, the victim of the fraud told police he gave Short his Mastercard to use for purchasing supplies to complete the repair work on the Fletcher Street property, and never noticed the more than $3,000 in charges as they accumulated over time.
He reported to police that he had confronted Short about the charges and was confronted three weeks prior to the late April report that Short said “I haven’t gotten my taxes back” to pay back the money he spent on the card, which included more than $180 in interest charges as well.
Police reported the victim told officers that Short admitted to the spending and that he said “sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”
Then the victim told officers he could no longer contact Short at all. A itemized list of charges was provided.
Those included trips to restaurants like Zaxby’s, iHOP, Waffle House, Zorba’s and Steak and Shake; stores like Walmart, Dollar General, Home Depot, Super Grands, Hibbets Sports, Chevron, and Penny Pinchers; and also used the card at Cedartown Pawn, Assurance America and Aaron’s.
He also is reported to have spent more than $600 at Tony’s Tires using the card as well.
Short was jailed for more than a day before bond was set and he was released late last week on the felony charges.
