Jason Smith says prior to the revelation of his bounced checks, he had already planned to step down as President and CEO of the "Kentucky Mavericks" to attend to family matters.

Smith speaks out about what those issues were and how they led to him finally being arrested.

Jason Smith says he had no choice but to go back home to Memphis.

"When I got back to Memphis that situation had grown totally grown out of control that my family was looking to lose a lot of property in foreclosure. I knew that if I had come back to face this right now, I wouldn't be able to be of help to my parents," Smith says.

Smith told WBKO he felt he had to go home to tend to their family problems even though the spotlight on him was starting to get brighter.

"I was thinking of my livelihood because if we would have lost everything in Memphis I would have lost everything also. I have to support my fiancee and daughter back in Leitchfield, so I could just not forget my family," states Smith.

But coming back to Bowling Green and paying off his debt was something Smith says he always planned to do.

"When everything was finished and done, I planned on turning myself in and actually I wanted to do it after Christmas. You can't hide from being a fugitive from justice when you're all over the Internet," admits Smith.

The former "Mavericks" owner says he was with family in Dyersburg, Tennessee selling one of the apartment properties that hadn't been foreclosed on by the bank.

He says the Realtor hired Park's Limousine to take Smith and his family between Memphis and Little Rock, Arkansas as the deal to close on the multi-million dollar sale was negotiated.

But Smith disputes the fact he should pay the limo driver any money at all.

"If someone else hired you to drive me, whey would I pay you? I did not hire him. He was not hired by me. And when I got a bill from him, it shocked me as well as my mom," Smith notes.

Smith also says he used his own credit card to attempt to pay the limo company... not someone else's.

"That was not another person's credit card. That was my credit card," he stresses.

The 25-year-old says after the limo driver and fleet owner, Barrett Betts, overheard a conversation Smith had with his mom, Smith came clean to Betts and then the authorities were called.

Smith faces up to 20 years for "Theft By Deception", and he says he understands some people want to see him serve every bit of it.

Yet Smith says he just wants a chance to change people's negative opinions of him.

"If I was to just get released and do nothing then I would expect that. But if I'm released back to my family, my fiancee and my daughter and I've paid my debt, they can't say "there goes the guy that swindled half of Bowling Green," Smith explains.

Smith was arraigned in Judge John Grise's courtroom Tuesday morning.

His case is set for a "pre-trial conference" scheduled for February 2, 2009.