ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – A 38-year-old St. Johns County man was arrested Wednesday evening on an outstanding warrant for exploitation of the elderly, as well as drug charges.
James Gruner was located at a State Road 207 Quality Inn motel by the U.S. Marshal's Service just after 6 p.m. and taken into custody.
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According to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, Detective David Zufelt has been investigating Gruner in four separate complaints for accepting money from elderly residents to perform various jobs over the last three months.
The investigation revealed that Gruner has a history in multiple jurisdictions of befriending elderly citizens and offering to do work for them, and once payment is received, he leaves without completing the work or making contact with them, deputies said.
Investigators said there were numerous reports and arrests of Gruner contracting without a license and victimizing the elderly around the state over the last dozen years. There are 21 reported incidents that have occurred in Brevard, Flagler, Putnam, St. Lucie and St. Johns counties, with the youngest victim being
55 years old, deputies said.
In addition to the charges in St. Johns County, Gruner has four outstanding warrants out of Putnam County for similar charges.
In addition to the open warrants from St. Johns and Putnam counties, Gruner was charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was booked into the St. Johns County Jail with bail set at more than $157,000.
Detectives believe that there may be additional victims that have been in contact with Gruner.
Anyone who feels they are a victim should contact the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office at 824-8304 and file a report.