A contractor from Boardman accused of theft appeared in court for an arraignment hearing Thursday evening.

John Bartos, 40, appeared in front of Judge Joseph Houser who set his bond at $5,000.

Bartos does not have to pay the $5,000 upfront due to him not being a flight risk. The judge did say Bartos would owe the $5,000 if he doesn't appear for his scheduled preliminary hearing.

Jail records show Bartos is still in the Mahoning County Jail as of Friday, February 3. Bartos has two own recognizance bonds set from the Boardman Municipal Court.

The legal troubles for Bartos all started when a local man hired Bartos' construction company to replace seven windows in his condo. After putting $2,000 down, the man never heard back from him, leading the man to file a complaint.

Since then, more than a dozen people from several local communities have filed similar complaints against Bartos after putting down payments on jobs that never got done.

21 News spoke with a number of people affected over the last week and found the deposits added up to more than $25,000

Bartos' next hearing is set for 10 a.m. on February 21.