A Gainesville man was arrested Monday on charges of stealing money from customers of his boat repair business.
Hall County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer B.J. Williams said warrants were recently issued for Billy Joe Toler, age 48, after an investigation into the business on Browns Bridge Road.
"The very first report (investigators) took was from back in May of 2021 and Mr. Toler, in that particular instance, had a boat, kept it for several months and did not complete the repairs on it even though he charged the victim," Williams said. "That was basically his modus operandi."
Williams said investigators have identified seven victims with similar stories to the first report. She said Toler is alleged to have stolen more than $25,000 combined from those victims.
She also said there could be more people who were stolen from.
"Our investigators are thinking there could certainly be other boat owners who could have been victimized at this business," Williams said. "If somebody took their boat to the business and they had the same type of experience, they're certainly encouraged to contact our investigators and let them know what's going on to see if they might be part of this investigation as well."
Williams said anyone who may have been victimized by Toler's business should contact Investigator Vaughn with the sheriff's office by either calling him directly at 770-503-3153 or by calling the sheriff's office's non-emergency reporting line at 770-536-8812.
Toler is facing seven counts of Theft by Deception. As of Tuesday afternoon, he remained in the Hall County Jail on more than $30,000 bond.
