Thomaston police have arrested a 28 year old resident of the Virgin Islands and charged him with solicitation of funds without a permit.
Troy Nigel Francois of St. Croix, Virgin Islands was identified as the leader of a group of teenagers that ranged from 16 to 19 years in age. They had traveled to Thomaston in a leased Champagne colored van with Florida license plates. The teens were from Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina and one had a Georgia address.
Several members of the group were soliciting funds last Thursday in the Walmart parking lot while others were in the Northside area. They were asking for donations to a student scholarship fund in the name of Home Health Education Services of Decatur, Georgia and were accepting cash, credit cards and checks that were deposited into a Bank of America account. Francois told investigators that the group averaged about $2,000 a day in donations.
Francois was booked into the Upson County jail, his bond has been set at $365.50. The teens parents were notified and the group was allowed to return to their homes in the van.
Residents are urged to notify authorities if the group returns to Upson County and attempts to solicit funds for this program or any other that they may claim to support.
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