A Prince Edward County roofer has been charged with fraud over $5,000 after accepting payment and not starting the work.
On Wednesday, officers with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) at the Prince Edward County Detachment announced they had completed an investigation where two local complainants advised they had paid a contractor to complete work on their roofs but the work had not been initiated.
The officer began an investigation on May 3, 2019 and determined the complainant had enlisted a contractor for roofing in March 2019 and, when she could not resolve the issue on her own, she finally came to police. She reported a deposit of just over $9,400 was given to the suspect for work to be completed on her County Road 15 home in Hillier.
A second complaint regarding the same suspect and details was reported on June 6, 2019 for a Centre Street, Picton address with a deposit of over $5,000.
Consecon resident Michael Crandall of A Level Above Contracting and Roofing has been charged with Fraud over $5,000 (Criminal Code 380 (1)(a)). The accused is scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice on Wednesday July 31, 2019 at 9:30 am.
Any person with information regarding this incident should immediately contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122.
If you or someone you know suspect they’ve been a victim of fraud contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
In other Prince Edward OPP news, Members of the local Detachment have responded to 377 various types of calls for service since July 1, 2019.
From July 1 to July 15, 2019, 55)of these calls for service were made into the 9-1-1 Emergency Line as dropped calls or “pocket dials” and just under half (26) of those calls were on the Canada Day Weekend alone.
“This takes a toll on police resources, as accidental calls or abuse of 9-1-1 ties up emergency lines, communicators and officers which could result in the slower response to a real emergency, risking the safety of people who may need urgent help,” Constable Karen German, Community Safety and Media Relations Officer for the detachment said. “Officers are required to attend all 9-1-1 calls, whether it’s an emergency or simply a pocket dial. ”
Ontario’s unintentional calls have decreased over the last few years, however more work needs to be done. The OPP has launched the #KnowWhenToCallcampaign to further educate the public on unintentional calls, including pocket dials to 9-1-1.
In 2018, Prince Edward County OPP responded to a total of 664 calls to 9-1-1, however, only a portion of these were either pocket dials (76) or dropped cellphone (81) calls.
Dial 9-1-1 by mistake? Hanging up is the wrong thing to do! Let the emergency operator know it was a pocket dial / unintentional call. This will eliminate the need for the emergency operator to call back. Officers will still be dispatched to ensure you are safe.
In an emergency, every second counts so continue to dial 9-1-1 but please call 1-888-310-1122 for non-emergencies.
OPP and EMS attended the location at Salem Road and Whitney Road in Ameliasburgh ward where paramedics determined the female was not in medical distress.
As a result of this investigation, Kimberly Cocco, age 45 from Prince Edward County has been charged with ‘Having a Blood Alcohol Concentration of over 80 mg per 100 ml of blood within two hours of driving (Criminal Code 320.14).’
The accused is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice on Wednesday July 31, 2019 at 9: 30 a.m. Cocco was also issued a 90 day Administrative Drivers Licence Suspension (ADLS) and the vehicle was impounded for seven days.
Police stopped the male driver and as a result of the investigation, Liam Constant Puntanen, 24, of Toronto was charged with ‘Having a Blood Alcohol Concentration of over 80 mg per 100 ml of blood within two hours of Driving (Criminal Code 320.14)’
He is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Picton on July 31, 2019 at 9:30 a.m.
The accused was issued a 90 day Administrative Drivers Licence Suspension (ADLS), and the vehicle was impounded for seven days.
The OPP remains committed to ensuring Ontario roads are safe from alcohol-impaired and drug-impaired drivers.
-Staff
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