MID-MICHIGAN (WJRT) - More victims are coming forward after ABC 12 exposed a contractor, who clients claim took their money and then disappeared without ever doing the work.
Court documents show complaints against Jacob McCandlish and his company Red's General Contracting in Davison have been filed in Genesee, Lapeer and Oakland counties. One of the first complaints was filed by Don Fryer.
Fryer said he hired McCandlish in April 2020 to do work on his home in Columbiaville. The COVID-19 pandemic had just started and he knew McCandlish's parents, so he felt comfortable paying the contractor $12,600.
Fryer said McCandlish came to his home and started the job, but never finished.
"I wanted to lift garage up, make it into a living space. He took the roof off, came about four times, worked about four hours a day then I never seen him again," Fryer said.
Fryer hired a private investigator and filed a complaint with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office. More than two and a half years later, he’s never received any money back and is no longer friends with the McCandlish family.
"I'm not going to get money back, but jail would be good," Fryer said.
McCandlish could not be reached for comment this week. Phone numbers and email addresses he gave clients no longer work.
Authorities urge residents to verify that contractors and their businesses have a valid license before signing a contract. Click here to search the state database of construction licenses.
