2 Mooresville men accused of staging door-to-door fundraising scheme

Authorities accuse two Mooresville men of collecting money door-to-door in Lake Norman neighborhoods for what they falsely claimed was a Charlotte Fire Department fallen firefighters fund.

Iredell County sheriff’s investigators arrested one of the men on Woodstream Circle off Stutts and Brawley School roads last week. A warrant has been issued for the second man.

Paul Walker Jacob Mills, 25, was arrested after investigators responded to a report of a suspicious person telling homeowners he was collecting money for the “Charlotte Fire Department Fallen Firefighters.”

The man wore a Charlotte Fire Department sweatshirt and held a 2-litter green drink bottle with writing in magic marker that said, “for the wounded firefighters raffle,” the sheriff’s office said.

Mills admitted he didn’t work for the department and had no plans to turn any of the money over to the department, the sheriff’s office said.

Mills was charged with obtaining property by false pretense, possession of a schedule III controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was jailed on $5,000 bail. Authorities did not disclose the drug they said Mills had in a pocket or how much money was taken from homeowners.

Investigators searched for a second suspect, Charles Vernon Brooks III, also 25, but couldn’t find him. A magistrate issued a warrant charging Brooks with obtaining property by false pretenses.

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 12:25 PM with the headline "2 Mooresville men accused of staging door-to-door fundraising scheme."