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Car promises lead to felony theft charges
A woman in Suwanee says she never got her money back after a man promised to help her get an affordable. Police have charged that man with felony theft and say this may not be his first victim.
SUWANEE, Ga. - A woman says she never got her money back after a man promised to help her get an affordable car. Police have now charged that man with felony theft.
"I'm left with nothing at this point," Kelly Meadows said.
Meadows was in a recovery program earlier this year when she got connected to an organization called "Wheels-N-Recovery." She was told it helped other women in recovery get affordable cars.
She says she sent $2,000 to Aaron Hayes in July for a down payment. Her contract promised a safe car in four weeks along with her making weekly payments. But months later, Meadows says the car was nowhere to be found.
Kelly Meadows says she was scammed out of $2,000 after a man promised he would help her get an affordable car.
"I asked for a refund. He took two weeks saying something was wrong with his bank account [and] never gave me a refund," Meadows said.
"I worked while I was in rehab and saved up, you know, saved up the money to send him while I was in rehab and thought I was going to have a car when I come home," she said.
Meadows is apparently not alone. According to Suwanee Police, at least eleven other people claim they sent Hayes as much as $6,500.
According to police, some received partial refunds, but many did not.
Suwanee Police obtained six felony theft warrants against Hayes. Police say he was picked up on those warrants in another state. They are currently awaiting his extradition to the Gwinnett County Jail.
Wheels-N-Recovery Instagram account
It's unclear how long Wheels-N-Recovery, which was located in Suwanee, has been around or exactly what role Hayes' plays in it. The organization's Instagram page shows posts dating back to 2020 and says a person's recovery counts as credit towards their vehicle.
"I was nine months clean, so he said, 'Ok, you're approved to get this vehicle,' and it just it went with my recovery," Meadows said. "So, it felt like the right thing to do."
"Just don't think because he says, "Hey, I'm helping people who are in recovery,' that this man is legit. He was doing enough just to get by so people would not catch onto him," Meadow's mother, Lynn Adams, added.
Lynn started a GoFundMe campaign to try to recover the money she spent and raise more for another car.