Man Arrested For Home Improvement Fraud After Failing To Finish Roof Job
Posted
Jackie Gorski-
A Warsaw man is facing a home improvement fraud felony charge after he allegedly didn’t finish work on a roof of a house that belonged to a man over 60.
Andrew Vickry Barfell, 50, of 731 W. Market St., Warsaw, is charged with home improvement fraud, a Level 6 felony.
According to court documents, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputy Mason Teel responded to a call about home improvement fraud, where he spoke with the victim. The victim told Teel he hired Barfell to repair his roof in April 2019 and entered into a contract for $1,800, of which $1,750 had been paid.
On the written document, Barfell listed the costs of the repair to include tearing off five squares of shingles, replacing plywood, water and ice barrier and repairing rafters. The victim said the repair was moving slowly. At one point, Barfell fell through the room, causing damage to the interior of the residence and roof, according to court documents.
The victim provided KCSO with copies of text messages through November and into December 2019, requesting Barfell finish capping the roof and clean up the materials on the property. According to court documents, Barfell never returned to do the work. Even after answering a text about the repaired roof leaking again, Barfell didn’t make further repairs.
Barfell spoke with Teel and said the roof was not leaking and the water was condensation due to the lack of insulation and cold temperatures. According to court documents, Barfell said the budget set for him did not allow him to properly replace the faulty sections of the roof causing the leaking. Barfell did admit the agreement was to repair the rafters, sheathing and to replace the shingles that was needed. Barfell, according to court documents, attempted to get the victim to spend more money on the project, but the victim didn’t have the money for it.
Barfell said the mismatched shingles that were used in the repair were due to the shingles being cheaper and he continued with the sheathing because that was needed most and the budget wouldn’t allow him to replace all the sheathing.
The victim hired an independent contractor to repair the interior damage Barfell caused during the unsuccessful repair, court documents state. The contractor said the area that was fixed by Barfell was leaking and instead of repairing the roof, Barfell covered soft spots, causing further damage.
Barfell was booked into Kosciusko County Jail at 4:38 p.m. Thursday. His bond was set at $1,800.
