HANCOCK COUNTY — A Franklin contractor faces a felony charge after allegations he took $25,000 from a Hancock County man but never completed the work he was paid to do, according to court documents.
Prosecutors have filed a single count of home improvement fraud against Robert Dale, 59, 3379 South Mauxferry Road, Franklin, records show.
The charge is filed as a Level 6 felony, which carries a penalty of up to 2½ years in jail and $10,000 in fines.
A man came forward in May, telling police he’d hired Dale and his Franklin-based company, Quality Builders, late last year to build a pole barn on his property in Hancock County.
The victim said he signed a contract and gave Dale a $12,500 deposit on Nov. 7. Dale told him construction on the barn would begin within two or three weeks of that date, according to police.
Later the same month, Dale contacted the man saying he needed more money for additional materials, and he needed the money quickly in order to keep the project on schedule, court documents state.
So, the victim wrote Dale a second check, this time for $5,000, police said.
By Dec. 1, work on the pole barn still hadn’t started, yet Dale contacted the victim again saying he needed even more money, police were told.
The victim told police he confronted Dale at this point about why construction still hadn’t started. Dale blamed the weather, and assured the victim that construction would begin soon. The victim wrote a third check, for $7,500, court documents state.
By March, construction still hadn’t started and Dale had stopped returning phone calls, the victim told police. The man said he hired an attorney, who sent letters to Dale and Quality Builders inquiring about the status of the project. The letters were never responded to, court documents state.
Police tried repeatedly to contact Dale and Quality Builders after the victim came forward in early May. They were unable to reach Dale or anyone at the business, court documents state.
A warrant for Dale’s arrest has been pending since early May, records show; but Dale recently hired Franklin attorney John Young to represent him in the case.
The charges against Dale are filed in Hancock County Superior Court 2. A judge has ordered Dale be held in the Hancock County Jail without bond until he can appear in court, records show.
A phone message left for Dale at the Quality Builders office by the Daily Reporter was not returned. Dale’s attorney could not be reached for comment on this story.