DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) – A contractor is accused of failing to start a project a customer paid for and refusing to refund money.
Micah Hale, 41, faces a home repair fraud charge. Police say he and a customer entered into a contract for a bathroom remodel on July 10, 2018. Hale, who is self-employed as a contractor and has a business called MH Construction, was paid a 50 percent deposit of $9,871.53 for the work. The project had a total bid of $19,871.53.
Police say Hale did not show up at the home to start work. The customer started sending him texts on Aug. 18, 2018 asking for the work to start and requesting a refund if the project couldn’t happen. According to sworn statements, Hale responded to the texts saying he was “out of town” and could start two weeks later.
Statements say Hale still didn’t show up to work. The customer went to police and filed a complaint on Sept. 7, 2018. When police contacted Hale, he told them he did not want to perform the work anymore and would refund the money paid.
Police interviewed Hale on Oct. 4. They say he admitted that the work hadn’t started and told officers he didn’t have enough personnel to do the job. Hale never refunded the money, according to statements.
Hale was taken into Macon County custody after his arrest on April 6, 2019. He is out of jail after posting 10 percent of his $10,000 bond.
