A Muncie man was arrested this week on a preliminary charge of home improvement fraud.
Authorities allege Randy Gene Phillips, 44, 219 N. Claypool St., last November received a check for $957 from a Muncie woman to install an awning on her home.
The woman told police last week she eventually gave Phillips a Jan. 15 deadline to either do the work or return her money, but he never called her back.
http://liarcatchers.com/fraud_investigation.html
According to a police report, Phillips on Thursday told two investigators he had purchased the awning in question from a local home improvement store. A store employee told police no such purchase was made, and Phillips was arrested.
Two charges — a conversion count filed in May 2011, and a driving-while-suspended count filed in May 2010 — were already pending against Phillips in Muncie City Court.
He was being held in the Delaware County jail on Friday under a $5,000 bond.
