John Bartos III was arrested after authorities accused him of taking thousands of dollars for home construction work he never completed.
BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKRC) - An Ohio contractor was arrested after he allegedly collected thousands, then failed to return to complete jobs.
According to WFMJ, 43-year-old John Bartos III was taken into custody in Boardman, Ohio, after he was accused of theft, passing bad checks and operating a vehicle while under the influence.
The report states that the suspect has a history of theft convictions and was arrested again after a judge signed a fugitive warrant in late July.
Bartos is accused of accepting $6,000 to perform work on a home in Beaver Township but never returning to complete the labor. A bench warrant was issued later in August after the suspect reportedly failed to appear for a hearing following an alleged violation of his probation.
WFMJ reported that the suspect's defense attorney asked to withdraw from the case on the same day an arrest warrant was filed in Lisbon, Ohio, citing "irreconcilable difference" for the decision.
Bartos was reportedly placed on three years of community control in 2024 after he pleaded in three different theft cases, which required him to report to a probation officer regularly. The suspect was taken into custody in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, after he allegedly accepted a $2,500 deposit for repairs on a home in Marshall Township but failed to complete the work. After he pleaded to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct, Bartos paid approximately $500 in fines.
Soon after being released from jail in Pittsburgh, he was taken to the Mahoning County Jail after he allegedly violated his probation.
The report further notes that Bartos pleaded guilty to the following in 2024:
- Theft (11 counts)
- Theft from people in a protected class (six counts)
Those cases reportedly stemmed from the suspect's failure to complete work he was hired to perform, which resulted in dozens of unfinished construction projects.
According to a previous WFMJ report in 2023 regarding a previous arrest, Bartos's defense attorney blamed a gambling addiction for the alleged crimes, with Bartos telling a judge, "I've been seeking help and counseling for that weekly."
