Written by: E. George
Published March 29, 2023 @ 8:40 PM ET
Houston County (January 25, 2023) – A man had reached out to a local musician who goes by the name ‘Cam Vance’ and scheduled an appearance for his upcoming party on January 14, 2023. They agreed on $350 as the total cost, and the victim paid him $175 via Venmo to secure his services.
When he messaged the suspect, Cameron Dwayne Vance, to confirm his performance, Vance responded, “Absolutely!” He received no further communication from him until 10 minutes prior to the start of his party, requesting his address.
The victim responded approximately an hour later with the information, but Vance never replied nor arrived. When he messaged Vance the following day asking for a refund, he refused.
The victim informed the Houston County Sheriff’s officers that he had given the performer the opportunity to return the money or reschedule, but he declined to do either. He warned him that he would file a police report, and Vance responded, “Cool. Good luck.”
The victim submitted screenshots of the messages exchanged between him and Vance as evidence. When officers contacted Vance, he confirmed the victim’s story and verified that he did not intend to return the money.
He stated it “was a non-refundable deposit” but admitted that no contract indicating such existed. He said he did not perform at the party because he expected an immediate response from the victim when he messaged him for his address.
He explained that when he did not hear back from him right away, “he and his girlfriend went back to sleep and slept through the party.” The officer explained that the victim only wanted his money returned and would not press charges if he paid him, but Vance refused again.
Vance was arrested on March 17 and charged with theft by deception. This case is currently pending in court.
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
On Thursday, January 25, 2023, I, Deputy J. Lewis, was employed by the Houston County Sheriff’s Office and assigned to the Traffic Division. I was in a marked patrol unit, Unit 827, in my Houston County Sheriff’s Office uniform and had my badge displayed.
FIRST OBSERVATIONS:
At approximately 13:59 hours, I responded to a call for service in the area of Nelson Dr. After the call for service was complete, I was flagged down by the victim, [VICTIM #1], who requested a report be completed in reference to Theft by Deception.
INTERVIEW WITH VICTIM:
I spoke with [VICTIM #1], who explained he had a private party at his residence scheduled for January 14, 2023 from 6 pm to midnight. On November 7, 2022, [VICTIM #1] reached out to a local musician, Cameron Vance, who agreed to provide music at the party. [VICTIM #1] and Vance agreed on a price of $350. [VICTIM #1] paid Vance half of the money upfront, $175, via Venmo to secure Vance’s services. There was no further interaction between [VICTIM #1] and Vance until January 11, when [VICTIM #1] messaged Vance asking if he still had the private party on his schedule, and Vance responded, “Absolutely!”
There was no further interaction between Vance and [VICTIM #1] until January 14, the night of the party. Vance messaged [VICTIM #1] at 5:50 pm, 10 minutes prior to when the party started, asking for [VICTIM #1]’ address. At 6:56 pm, [VICTIM #1] answered the question, providing the address. There was no further response from Vance, and Vance did not show up at the party to provide the agreed upon services. [VICTIM #1] messaged Vance the following date asking for a refund of the $175 payment, to which Vance refused to return the money.
[VICTIM #1] stated he gave Vance the opportunity to either return the money, or even offered him the opportunity to provide the services at an event at a later date. [VICTIM #1] stated Vance refused to do either. [VICTIM #1] informed Vance he would be filing a police report, to which Vance responded, “Cool. Good luck.”
[VICTIM #1] provided me with screenshots documenting and verifying the above interaction.
INTERVIEW WITH SUSPECT:
I made phone contact with Vance, at the provided cell phone number, [REDACTED]. Vance confirmed all of the above-mentioned information, and verified he did not intend on returning [VICTIM #1]’ money for the services. Vance stated the $175 was a non-refundable deposit. I asked Vance if there was any written contract, which informed [VICTIM #1] the money was non-refundable. He stated there was not.
I asked Vance why he did not provide the services he agreed to provide. Vance stated he realized early on January 14 that he did not have [VICTIM #1]’ address. Vance stated since [VICTIM #1] didn’t provide the address, he did not ask any questions. Vance stated when he messaged [VICTIM #1] at 5:50 pm on the date of the party, he expected an immediate response. Vance stated when [VICTIM #1] did not respond immediately, he and his girlfriend went back to sleep and slept through the party.
I informed Vance that [VICTIM #1] only wanted his money returned, and [VICTIM #1] would not pursue charges if the money was returned. Vance still refused to return the $175.
CONCLUSION
I video conferenced with Magistrate Judge Gina Stout, and provided the facts of this case. Judge Stout found probable cause to issue an arrest warrant for Cameron Vance for misdemeanor Theft by Deception.
[End of Narrative]