Marietta Craigslist Suspect Arrested

A 56-year-old Marietta man who allegedly attempted to rent homes that he did not own was arrested Wednesday night, Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren said this afternoon.

The agency was led to Terry Catron Wednesday night after someone lodged a complaint against him earlier in the day, he said in a news release.

"Catron contacted potential tenants responding to an ad he had listed on Craigslist," Warren said. "However, unknown to the tenants and the owner of the property, Catron had fraudulently placed the ads and had even accepted a $300 check as a down payment on the property in question."

Catron was arrested at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at his home in the 900 block of Laurel Springs Lane, according to online jail records. He is at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center in lieu of $2,500 bond on a charge on theft by deception. It is a misdemeanor offense.

“Unfortunately, with the growth of social media, this type of scam is becoming more and more common in our community,” Warren said. “I would strongly recommend that prior to signing a contract and making a down payment on a rental unit, the tenant verifies the owner of the property by checking tax records or contacting the Cobb Superior Court Clerk’s Real Estate Division.”