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According to Sheriff Keith Sexton, investigators with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office filed additional charges on Steven Chase Willis, 27, of Unicoi. He was arrested on June 25 for theft over $10,000; theft of services over $10,000; worthless checks over $500; and deceptive business practices.

The new charges filed are two separate counts of theft over $2,500 and two separate counts of deceptive business practices. Willis, the owner of Earth Effects in Unicoi, took large sums of money from dozens of victims as down payment for jobs that were never started.

Willis was arrested by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office on these charges and has a bond of $20,000. His most recent court appearance was July 5. Further charges are expected in the near future.