WHITELAND, Ind. — The search for a Johnson County scammer, accused of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from his customers, has ended in another state with his arrest.
John Bragg was arrested in Beaufort, on the Atlantic coast of North Carolina Saturday morning, and will be brought back to Indiana to face charges.
Police say Bragg, who targeted people trying to restore their cars, was continuing to scam people in West Virginia, before he was arrested in North Carolina.
In hindsight, the name of the car restoration shop in Whiteland should have been a dead giveaway: JB Bugs Trick Truck 'N Rod of Indy.
Tricks, detectives say, were the sinister backbone of this business. They say Bragg took a lot of people for a ride.
"This guy would be number one on our list of scammers," said Johnson County Sheriff's Det. Damian Katt.
Investigators say the 45-year-old Bragg, who was also known as John Goode and JB Goode, has fraud convictions in Florida, committed crimes in Indiana and was allegedly running scams in West Virginia before a tip led police to an apartment in North Carolina.
Friday night, Katt said a tip came from a person in North Carolina who described Bragg from internet searches they had done after Bragg had begun a renovation job for the tipster's parents.
That led Beaufort authorities to an apartment building with a car parked outside that belonged to Bragg. He was arrested at 9 a.m. on an Indiana fugitive warrant.
In Johnson County, Bragg is accused of scamming at least 30 people out of $300,000 in high-end restoration jobs.
"Looked like he did great work, talked a great game and just... never followed through," said former customer Bryan Ferry.
Ferry lost $7,500 on what was supposed to be the restoration of his beloved VW bus. It's bodywork he paid for that never got done.
"I got that bus in college, so '92 or '93. Traveled the country," Ferry said. "Lot of memories in that bus. He just kept texting and promising and that's probably why he was able to string me along because there was no progress."
The final lie came, he said, the day it was supposed to be done.
"I get there a little early and the building's all locked up. There's eviction notices," Ferry said. "I found out later that two weeks prior to that, he left town and he was still texting me that day."
Ferry's not alone. The owner of another VW bus is out $14,000. Some Hoosiers, even more.
People from out of state, detectives say, were scammed at the Whiteland restoration shop, too.
"He just keeps doing it," Ferry said. "I don't know how he can keep moving on and, you know, leaving a trail of broken hearts, you know."
"When you have this many victims, you just want to hold somebody accountable," Katt said.
Johnson County detectives have been after Bragg since last summer.
When they learned he's now two states away and people are out thousands of dollars again?
They physically went to West Virginia, but came back empty-handed.
The tip that led to West Virginia was good, they said, but it appears Bragg's family in that area was helping him hide out.
Bragg, on the phone in December, claimed he'd turn himself in. But it didn't happen.
The manhunt continued.
It will likely end Monday when the extradition process begins to bring Bragg back to Indiana.
Police were convinced karma and the law would eventually catch up with Bragg.
Katt indicated Saturday that authorities in West Virginia and North Carolina might also find reasons to charge Bragg with renovation scams.
If you can help investigators, call the Johnson County Sheriff's Department at (317) 346-4654.