Flowery Branch Police (FBPD) have charged three people, including two store employees, in connection with cell phone thefts totaling about $100,000. Two are in custody and the third remained at large Monday afternoon.
FBPD NEWS RELEASE:
“On March 29…officers were contacted by a cellular retail store located in the 5800 block of
Spout Springs Road regarding suspected fraudulent activity. Flowery Branch Police Investigators
quickly launched an in-depth investigation and discovered that two employees of the store had
conspired with a third individual to fraudulently obtain mobile phones using stolen identities.
The investigation determined that between March 1 and April 1, 2025, Rico Demond Thomas,
24, of Winder, and Connor Vaughn Free, 22, of Cumming, colluded with Kendarius Jawaun
Watson, 25, of Winterville, who was not employed by the business. The three suspects obtained
multiple cellular devices by fraudulently using the personal identifying information of others.
As a result of the investigation, the following arrest warrants were obtained:
Rico Demond Thomas – 14 counts of Identity Theft/Fraud, 10 counts of Theft by
Deception
Connor Vaughn Free – 6 counts of Identity Theft/Fraud, 5 counts of Theft by Deception
Kendarius Jawaun Watson – 14 counts of Identity Theft/Fraud, 10 counts of Theft by
Deception
Mr. Thomas was apprehended by the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, and Mr. Free was taken
into custody by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. Mr. Watson remains at large.”
Anyone with information regarding this case or the whereabouts of Kendarius Jawaun Watson is
asked to contact the Flowery Branch Police Department at 770-967-6336.”