Man who scammed Volusia County elderly residents arrested, deputies say

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - A man who is accused of targeting senior victims and overcharging them for construction costs has been arrested, Volusia County deputies said.

Gary Mitchell, 29, was arrested Thursday in Broward County and taken to the Volusia County Jail.

Deputies said Mitchell specifically targets older residents.

Mitchell is accused of going to a 90-year-old DeBary woman’s home and telling her that she needed her driveway resurfaced, deputies said.

The woman initially declined, but later let the man fix her driveway for $3,000, investigators said.

The woman told deputies that she thought that was too much, but did it anyway. She said she tried to have the bank cancel the check, but Mitchell had already cashed the check, investigators said.

Detectives later learned that Mitchell didn’t resurface the woman’s driveway, but painted over it with a watered-down concrete mix, deputies said.

Deputies said Mitchell also tried to get $3,200 from an 88-year-old DeBary man for work on his driveway, but, accepted $40 after the man complained to Mitchell that the price was too high.

Mitchell was previously convicted in Arizona of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult, deputies said.

Mitchell is charged with elderly exploitation and scheme to defraud.

He’s being held on $50,000 bail.

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Man who scammed Volusia County elderly residents arrested, deputies say