A man suspected in a hot tub scam in three states was jailed this week after authorities received a tip that helped them find the 45-year-old in Charlotte.
In June 2011, the Iredell County Sheriff's Office said it received a report from victims who claimed they had found a hot tub for sale on Craiglist and then paid a man $1,500 for the tub. But the tub apparently didn't exist.
Authorities said they obtained a warrant for the arrest of Troy Lee Waters, but they couldn't find him.
By November, detectives had received similar reports from several others in counties across the state, as well as in Virginia and South Carolina.
Authorities said Waters had also used worthless checks to buy hot tubs. He would contact a person selling a hot tub on Craiglist and then meet the person to pay for the tub, according to the Sheriff's Office. But authorities said the check he paid them with came from a closed account.
Last week, the Sheriff's Office asked the public for help to find Waters. Within only a few hours, authorities said, they received a tip that he was living in Charlotte.
On Sunday, he was arrested on several outstanding warrants for obtaining property by false pretenses and probation violations.
He's being held in Iredell County jail under $475,000 bond.
