Saturday, December 19, 2015

Fleeced Out Of $8K For Bogus Driveway Repairs, 92-Year Old Homeowner Turns Tables On Alleged Home Improvement Scammer, Helps Cops Grab Suspect w/ Victim's Check Still In His Pocket

In Midwest City, Oklahoma, KOCO-TV Channel 5 reports:
  • James Funderburg, 92, knew his driveway was full of cracks and in need of repair. The World War II vet said that when a man offered to do the job for him, he was all ears.

    “I listened to him and asked him how much,” Funderburg said. “He never gave me a price.”

    Court documents reveal Ruben Charlie Jones took nearly $8,000 from the Midwest City man.

    “He started doing the work,” Funderburg said. “I didn’t stop him, but when he gave me the final price I said, ‘Well, cotton-picking, that’s an exorbitant price to cover this up.'”

    Midwest City police were notified by a neighbor looking out for Funderburg. “You hate it when somebody takes advantage of somebody his age,” said neighbor Linda Strahorn. “When he told me the guy was coming back, I told James he needed to call police.”

    Court documents reveal the pair called police, and when Jones returned, police were ready. “Two officers hid their car in my driveway,” said Strahorn. Another was inside Funderburg’s home. When the suspect came inside, that’s when police moved in.

    “They started asking him questions,” Funderburg said. “They patted him down, and the next thing you know, they took him off to city jail.

    Police said Jones had a check made out from the victim for more than $8,000.

    Court documents said Jones gave the victim the name Jim Owens. It’s believed to be an alias, along with the name Kyle Moody. The contractor has been charged with two counts of exploitation of the elderly and one count of possession of a forged note.