Logansport man arrested after scamming out-of-state developer, allegedly renting out building before completing construction

Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at 9:23 AM

By Shelby Lopez

A Logansport man was recently arrested on felony property theft charges after he was hired by an out-of-state developer to build apartments but instead allegedly took $300,000 and began to charge people to live in what was once a church on S Armstrong St in Kokomo.

According to police reports, the out-of-state developer contacted the Kokomo Police Department April 18 to report being the victim of fraud. The victim claimed he had hired John Barry Centers, 41, of Logansport, to renovate a former church into an apartment building.

In 2024, however, the victim discovered work on the structure had no been completed despite Center being paid for the jobs. The victim was also informed Centers had began renting out the building to numerous individuals who were paying rent to Centers. The victim estimated they lost at least $300,000 from the scheme.

Centers was charged with theft of property valued over $50,000, a Level 5 Felony. He was eventually arrested on June 20 and booked at the Howard County Criminal Justice Center. The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with more information about the case is asked to contact Detective Drew J. Wallsmith at (765) 456-7388.