Zachary Taylor Holt was arrested yesterday evening in Collin County on Titus County warrants for theft property greater than or equal to $30,000 and less than $150,000, a third-degree felony. The Titus County Sheriff Office had been searching for Holt prior to his arrest.
In July of 2022, Holt, who hails from the DFW Metroplex area, entered into a contractual agreement to build a Barn-dominium for a customer in Titus County. However, prior to completing the construction, Holt abandoned the project, leaving the property owner burdened with the financial cost of completing the project, which significantly exceeded the residual payment expected upon completion.
Upon receiving the initial report in July 2022, Titus County Sheriff's Investigators initiated an inquiry into Holt's activities in North Texas. During their investigation, they uncovered a pattern of Holt abandoning construction projects after receiving the majority of the payment. In many cases, the affected customers had to spend twice as much or more to complete the projects. Titus County Sheriff's Investigators reached out to a significant number of Holt's previous customers, who provided statements that suggested a clear pattern of fraudulent activity by Holt.
The investigation indicated that Holt may have been entering into contracts, including the case at hand, with the intent to defraud his customers of their money meant for construction. Based on their findings, investigators presented a probable cause affidavit to the Titus County District Attorney's Office, leading to Holt's charges related to the theft offense in Titus County.
In the case of most victims from other jurisdictions, they were advised that their only recourse for Holt's actions was to pursue damages through civil means. However, law enforcement believes that the repetitive and frequent nature of Holt's actions indicated an intent to defraud. Several other agencies are now closely scrutinizing complaints regarding Holt's activities.
Zachary Taylor Holt had been informed of his wanted status in July 2023 and had promised to turn himself in. Instead, he remained at large until his arrest yesterday evening.
