Update published Tuesday, April 29:
The third and final suspect in a Flowery Branch fraud investigation has now been arrested.
Hall County Jail records indicate that Kendarius Jawaun Watson, age 25 of Winterville, was booked into the jail on Monday, April 28 on more than two-dozen total charges of fraud and theft by deception.
Watson was one of three suspects sought by the Flowery Branch Police Department in connection with alleged fraud activity at a cellular retail store on Spout Springs Road. Police said Watson is accused of working with two employees of the store to use stolen identities to fraudulently obtain phones.
The scheme is alleged to have stolen phones cumulatively valued at around $100,000.
The two store employees, Connor Vaughn Free, age 22 of Cumming, and Rico Demond Thomas, age 24 of Winder, were both recently arrested and brought to Hall County on similar charges.
Watson is being held on more than $136,000 bond as of Tuesday morning. Free and Thomas have both been released on bond since their initial arrests.
Original story published Tuesday, April 22:
Two people have been arrested, with authorities searching for a third in an alleged fraud scheme involving a Flowery Branch cellular retail store.
The Flowery Branch Police Department said its officers began investigating after the owners of the store on Spout Springs Road contacted them about suspected fraud.
"Investigators quickly launched an in-depth investigation and discovered that two employees of the store had conspired with a third individual to fraudulently obtain mobile phones using stolen identities," police officials said.
Police estimate the fraud scheme totaled $100,000
The two employees of the store were identified as Connor Vaughn Free, age 22 of Cumming, and Rico Demond Thomas, as 24 of Winder. The third individual, who was not employed by the store, was identified as Kendarius Jawaun Watson, age 25 of Winterville.
Thomas was recently arrested by Barrow County Sheriff's deputies, while Free was arrested by the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office. Both are facing identity theft and fraud charges, as well as charges of theft by deception.
Watson reportedly remains at large, and is wanted on warrants of similar charges. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact Flowery Branch Police by calling 770-967-6336.
