Man jailed on home improvement charges | Local News

New Castle police on Monday arrested a contractor wanted for reportedly charging for work he did not do.

Patrick James Rodgers, 37, of Croton Avenue is in the Lawrence County jail for that case and a similar case involving reported collection of funds and not performing work in Shenango Township. The most recent charges regarding the Shenango case were filed Monday by a Lawrence County District Attorney’s detective.

New Castle police filed charges against Rodgers, 37, on Sept. 9 in connection with funds he charged an East Side customer for work he did not perform.

According to a criminal complaint filed by city officers, a woman reported that she initially contacted Rodgers’ business, PR Custom Contracting, in May to repair a ceiling in her East Side home and weatherproof her basement. She told police she paid Rodgers an initial $2,450 on May 5 after he went to her home and said the ceiling was unrepairable and that he’d have to repair the roof.

She reported Rodgers tore apart her basement and never repaired it and never fixed her ceiling. The woman provided police with a written contract between them, police said.

She said on July 20, she paid Rodgers two cash payments totaling $8,550 toward a total sum of $27,003.50 to repair her entire roof. She told police Rodgers texted her several times telling her he had plans to make her repairs but never showed.

On July 25, he took one bundle of shingles, a ladder, some nails and an air compressor to her house, but did no work on her roof, she reported.

Rodgers in connection with the reported breached contract is facing two counts each of false statements to induce agreements for home improvement services and receiving advance payment for services and four counts of theft by deception.

He was arraigned Monday by District Judge Melissa A. Amodie, who set a bail bond of $5,000.

Charges filed against him by the District Attorney’s office in the Shenango Township case involve his receiving pay for work that he did not perform at a house on Allegheny Avenue. The homeowner reported to the detective that he hired Rogers of PR Custom Contracting in early January to build an addition to his house. Rodgers requested the man pay him $10,000 cash up front, and after receiving the money, he sent another man to start the job and requested another $4,000. The other man stopped showing up, telling the homeowner that Rodgers had fired him, according to a criminal complaint.

At that point, only a small amount of work had been done and the man tried unsuccessfully to contact Rodgers and never was reimbursed for his money. The man also secured an attorney, who also tried to contact Rodgers without results, the court papers state. The report states Rodgers had been reported for other similar situations, according to complaints made to the Better Business Bureau.

Rodgers is facing one count each of receiving advance payment for services and failure to perform, and theft by deception in the Shenango Township case. He is awaiting arraignment on those charges.

Rodgers also has two other similar cases pending in the Lawrence County Court of Common Pleas.

Suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty or adjudicated in court.

[email protected]