Man accused of scamming couple in Smith County, others across multiple states

Published 1:00 pm Wednesday, July 31, 2024

From Staff Reports

A man allegedly scammed people in Smith County in 2020 which led to an investigation uncovering other scams in multiple states. After being on the run for four years, the suspect has been taken into custody.

Timothy Mark Adams has been booked into jail on multiple warrants and is awaiting extradition to Smith County. Adams faces numerous charges related to the series of alleged scams.

In March 2020, an elderly couple in Smith County saw an advertisement on Facebook concerning asphalt paving. The couple called the number in the advertisement and hired Adams to asphalt their driveway.

They paid Adams $3,000 in advance and never received any work, according to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office.

Smith County investigators received this case and other similar cases on Adams. They also corresponded with investigators in Hoover, Alabama, who were investigating Adams for similar scams. Through these cooperative investigations, they discovered Adams was allegedly scamming people in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Texas, the sheriff’s office said.

Smith County investigators obtained two felony theft warrants on Adams in 2020 and a grand jury indictment through the district attorney’s office. Adams skipped town shortly after and allegedly sent threatening messages to a victim, the sheriff’s office said.

On July 29, Smith County Fraud Investigator John Partlow received information on the possible whereabouts of Adams. He discovered that Adams was possibly staying in an RV park in Taylor County, Florida. Partlow corresponded with Taylor County Sheriff’s investigators, who were able to locate Adams at an RV park in Perry, Florida.

Partlow advised residents to be vigilant.

“Never hire anyone for home repair services until you thoroughly check them out,” he said. “Never pay anyone upfront for services until the work is completed unless they require money for materials during the project.”

Asphalt driveway scammers are one of the most prevalent forms of this fraudulent activity, costing victims thousands of dollars each year.