Clearwater Police arrested a 34-year-old man this week after he tried to con a man out of $300 in an auto repair scam.
Rockie Walter Demitro was charged with scheming to defraud and was taken to the Pinellas County Jail after the Wednesday incident. He has since been released on $5,000 bail, police say.
Demitro approached Daniel Tesar in the parking lot of Michaels at ClearwaterMall about 3 p.m. Wednesday. He told the victim he could fix a dent in the driver’s side door of his vehicle with some special wax and that it would costonly $300 and take just 30 minutes.
The victim agreed, but when he returned to his car 20 minutes later, the dent was still there.
A witness who saw what was happening recognized Demitro from a similar scams he said she was exposed to last year, and she called police.
Demitro, of 1306 S. Keene Road, was taken into custody before any money changed hands. He admitted to the scam that took place Wednesday, but said he had done it just the one time.
