Toccoa man faces charges in Stephens County after portraying himself as an electrician

Arrest warrants have been issued for a Toccoa man who has been scamming people in our area by portraying himself as an electrician.

According to Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley, on April 6, his office received a report of fraud from a residence on Highland Court in Martin.

The report notes a family hired a man by the name of Michael Bledsoe to add solar panels to the property.

The victim paid Bledsoe $10,000; but, instead of completing the work, Bledsoe allegedly faked working on the wiring in order to defraud the victim.

The victim told the Sheriff’s Office that he became suspicious and confronted Bledsoe, who then stopped having any contact with the victim.

Investigators looked at areas that Bledsoe supposedly did work at the Highland Court property, and it appeared Bledsoe spray painted old wires and a meter box instead of actually doing any repairs.

Shirley said investigators also learned that Bledsoe provided a false electrician license number that is not on file through the Georgia Secretary of State Office.

Investigators also saw wires in the control panel that appeared to have been burned.

Shirley says they believed Bledsoe damaged the wires in order to charge the victim to have the wires fixed.

Investigators also reached out to an arson investigator with the Georgia Office of Insurance and Fire Safety who agreed with the investigator’s observation that the wires had been burned on purpose.

During the course of the investigation, Shirley says, they learned of similar cases involving Bledsoe defrauding customers in Oconee County, South Carolina, White County, Franklin County, Hart County, Habersham County, and McDuffie County.

Investigators in Stephens County obtained arrest warrants on April 24, for 31-year-old Michael Dean Bledsoe, of Toccoa for forgery in the first-degree, arson in the first-degree, and felony theft by deception.

Bledsoe is currently incarcerated in Habersham County and will be brought back to Stephens County on a later date.