David Twitty came back to Moore County.

This time, though, he was sitting in the Moore County jail instead of a pew in a church. He and his son are accused of scamming numerous congregations into give them money and other assistance over the years.

Twitty, 43, was picked up by Charlotte police Monday evening. The Moore County Sheriff's Office sent some deputies to Mecklenburg to bring him back to the county, Capt. Jeff Medlin said.

He is currently charged with one count of obtaining property by false pretense, but two more warrants with the same charge have yet to be served, Medlin said. Twitty was transported back to Charlotte Tuesday morning to be arraigned on other charges.

His son, Travis, was arrested by Charlotte police Saturday.

Apparently, the father and son would go to a church while it is holding a service and plead for assistance, claiming to be stranded for one reason or another. Several churches reported in early March that the pair claimed that a relative had been killed in an accident and they needed money, Medlin said.

After recent publicity surrounding the father and son duo going to churches asking for money, Medlin said he has received information from churches in at least 10 counties in North Carolina that have been victimized by them. One church in Wake County reported that it was approached by the Twittys 18 months ago, Medlin said.

Medlin said he spoke by phone to a woman from a church in Galax, Va., who said the pair had visited her church recently.

"It's sort of disheartening that we have this kind of thing going on," Medlin said. "We wish we had more people to come forward about this guy. I don't know why, but for some reason people don't want to get involved. People need to look out for each other and not stand on the sideline. Further on down the line, other people are going to be hurt by this guy.

"Some of the people that have helped him probably really couldn't afford to, but out of the goodness of their hearts they did what they could. We are still talking to other witnesses. I wish we could get more people to come forward if they've been victimized."

Someone sent Medlin a 1997 news release from the United Methodist News Service that described how the Twittys operate. The Twittys were accused of scamming churches in Georgia at the time. One church was reported to have given Twitty more than $1,000.

"He's been doing this a long time," Medlin said. "He needs to be held accountable for what he is doing."

Contact Hunter Chase by e-mail at hchase@thepilot.com.