El Reno Couple Turns Tables on Scammers

Scam artists usually choose victims that won't fight back.  Sometimes they choose foolishly.

Jack and Jannette George had just gotten home from shopping a few weeks ago when they were approached by a man and woman with a large truck.

"We hadn't closed the garage door yet," said Jannette.  "And this guy pulls up in the driveway and opens his door and hollers out at us."

The couple claimed to have a truckload of hot asphalt left over from a nearby job, and offered the Georges a cut rate to pave their driveway. 

Jack had wanted to pave the driveway for some time, and negotiated a deal for $1600.  He thought it was a steal, and it turned out to be, but not quite the way he had hoped.

The couple and their crew put down the 800 square feet agreed upon, but kept putting down more.  Soon the price had doubled.  They promised to return to finish the job the next day, but needed more money for a surface sealant.

"I didn't feel well about the whole thing to start with," Jannette said.  "And then after they had raised the price, I thought that was very suspicious."

Jannette did some online investigating into the company called Professional Asphalt, and was surprised at what she found out.

"It didn't take but a little while," she said.  "And all things started poppin' up from Indiana."

The Georges had already written a check, but didn't feel right about it.  They decided to not only stop payment on the check, but call the sheriff as well.  He showed up just before the crew got there to finish the job.

"Once the contractor showed up, it kinda went downhill after that," said Canadian County Sheriff Randall Edwards.

Edwards and his deputy found numerous violations with Professional Asphalt's equipment and vehicles.  They wrote them over $2500 in fines and impounded their equipment.  The Sheriff also gave the crew a strong message to take home.

"I told the contractor that if I was to ever catch him working here in Canadian County again, I would do more than just impound his equipment," Edwards said.  "He'd go to jail for defrauding the elderly.  He assured me he would never work in Canadian County again."