Micah J. Hale
DECATUR — A Decatur home repair contractor has pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted fraud and refunded more than $9,800 he took as a down payment for work he never started.
Micah J. Hale, 41, has also been banned from working as an independent contractor doing construction and remodeling work.
Hale, 41, appeared in Macon County Circuit Court on Friday and admitted an amended charge of attempted home repair fraud in a plea deal negotiated by his attorney, Bradford Rau.
Judge Thomas Griffith accepted the plea deal and, after imposing the conditional discharge, ordered the full sum taken — $9,871.53, plus the court costs — to be “paid in full on today’s date,” said Griffith.
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Hale was also ordered to have no contact with the customers he defrauded.
A sworn Decatur Police affidavit said Hale signed a contract to do a $19,871.53 bathroom remodeling job July 10, 2018. Hale’s firm, MH Construction, was paid an almost 50 percent deposit but, despite touring businesses with the homeowners to choose materials, Hale never bought anything for the job.
The homeowners gradually became fearful for their money and called police.
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Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid
