A Georgia man is accused of creating a fraudulent GoFundMe account to accept money on behalf of Pike County High School (Ga.) football player Dylan Thomas, who died after collapsing on the field in September.
RELATED: Georgia HS football player Dylan Thomas died of cardiac arrest connected to brain injury
Justus Hughley, 22, of Upson County, Ga., was arrested and charged with computer theft for allegedly trying to steal monetary donations from people who believed they were sending money to the grieving Thomas family, the Pike County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
A 17-year-old linebacker, Thomas died Sept. 30 of cardiac arrest from a traumatic brain injury he suffered during a game against Peach County (Fort Valley, Ga.) two days earlier.
According to police’s post, Hughley allegedly used a bank account in Iowa to attempt to transfer the money from the GoFundMe to his personal account.
The post said that the transaction was reported as fraudulent and no money was received by Hughley. Computer IP addresses and banking information provided by the suspect to GoFundMe and a bank were used to locate the suspect in Upson County.
He remains in the Pike County Jail without bond, police said in the post.