The first time deputies caught a 76-year-old Bluffton man buying gold that turned out to be stolen, they let him off with a warning.

Early Thursday, the same man was arrested for violating precious-metal laws after Beaufort County sheriff's deputies said he had done it again.

The man had placed a classified ad in The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette offering to meet with sellers to buy gold and other metals. Two suspects arrested last month and accused of burglarizing a home on Fern Lakes Drive sold stolen jewelry to him twice, according to Sgt. Robin McIntosh.

Precious-metal laws require buyers to have a business license, a precious-metals license and a set place of business to make documented purchases, she said.

The man was charged with violating precious-metal laws, a misdemeanor with a penalty of not more than a $500 fine, 90 days in jail or both. He was released on his own recognizance Thursday from the Beaufort County Detention Center.