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October 14, 2011

Contractor wanted on a repair fraud charge

By Cass Rains, Staff Writer Enid News and Eagle

ENID — A charge of home repair fraud has been filed against an Okeene man this week in Garfield County District Court and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

The felony charge against James Quenton Johnson, aka “Booger” Johnson or “Weird Beard” Johnson, was filed Wednesday and the warrant issued for his arrest.

Johnson is accused of entering into a contract for home repair with a Garber woman in late August while having no intent to perform the work, according to the charges.

Johnson, 46, entered into the contract Aug. 26 to build a patio cover for $3,300 and was paid $1,500 before the job began to buy supplies, according to an affidavit filed in the case. The woman told Deputy Laura Roberts that Johnson wrote a contract for the job, which was to begin Aug. 29 and finish no later than Sept. 2, and both of them signed it.

On Aug. 29, the woman said Johnson did not show up for the job, so she went to run some errands after calling Johnson several times without getting a response. When she returned, there was a handwritten note from Johnson saying he would return in the morning.

When he returned, Johnson said he had paid a man $400 to be his helper and was now unable to contact him and told the woman he had “made a bad decision,” according to the affidavit. He said he could not start the job because he did not have enough money for the supplies and asked the woman for a “draw” to purchase the supplies needed.

The woman said she told Johnson she would not give him a draw but pay the extra money to have the supplies delivered and subtract that total from the rest of contracted pay. The woman said the total needed for the rest of the supplies was $128.46. Johnson had ordered about $600 supplies with the $1,500 she already had paid him, according to the affidavit.

Johnson told the woman he was going to “roust out” the man he hired as a help, left and never returned, according to the affidavit.

On Sept. 2, the woman said she received a text message from Johnson asking for her address so he could return her money. The woman tried to contact Johnson several times but did not get a response.

Home repair fraud is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $5,000. Bond on the warrant for Johnson’s arrest was set at $5,000.

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