BEAUMONT, Texas — A 49-year-old Beaumont man has been accused of fraud in Sour Lake related to raising funds for his alleged cancer treatment.
Peter Eugene Shilts, 49, of Beaumont, also known as "Big P," was arrested on a warrant issued Monday by police in Sour Lake for theft of property by deception according to a Facebook post by the Sour Lake Police Department.
The charge is a state jail felony, Sour Lake Police Chief Aaron Burleson told 12News on Wednesday.
Shilts was arrested on the active warrant without incident by Beaumont Police officers on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, according to the post.
Police in Sour Lake began investigating "multiple allegations of fraud and deception" after several businesses in the city started fundraising to collect money for Shilts to help pay his medical expenses for cancer treatment according to the post.
When Shilts, who is accused of fraudulently raising $22,000, was asked by police to confirm he was being treated for cancer he named a clinic he said he was being seen at, Burleson told 12News.
However, the clinic told police they had no record of him, Burleson said.
Shilts has been transferred from the Jefferson County Correctional Facility to the Hardin County Jail where his bond has been set at $350,000.
The investigation into the alleged fraud is ongoing according to police.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
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