June 1, 2018 #18-015
Jail time for
unregistered contractor who botched jobs and cheated customers in Pierce County
TACOMA — Three Pierce County couples thought they were hiring
someone who would improve their homes and property. Instead, they wound up
paying thousands of dollars for a big mess. The unregistered contractor who
left them with unfinished and shoddy concrete work has been sentenced to 150
days in jail.
Tanner Andrew Smith, 26,
pleaded guilty last week to three counts of unregistered contracting, a gross
misdemeanor. Pierce County District Court Judge Karla Buttorff ordered the jail
time, but allowed the Tacoma-area man to serve it at the same time as sentences
for unrelated theft and escape convictions.
The Washington Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case
based on contractor compliance investigations by the Washington State Department
of Labor & Industries (L&I).
L&I urges consumers to protect their homes and property by
hiring contractors who are registered with the department. People can verify if
a contractor is registered in Washington at www.ProtectMyHome.net.
Shoddy
concrete work
Smith’s convictions stem from his work as an unregistered
contractor in 2015 and 2016 for three homeowners in Sumner, Orting and the Summit-Waller
area. At the time, he was doing business
as Southern Curbing and Concrete LLC. He also had operated as West Coast
Curbing and Concrete.
Each of the homeowners paid Smith thousands of dollars to
complete driveway, patio or other concrete projects that he started, but never
completed, charging papers said.
Victims pay
thousands more to repair damage, finish jobs
The little work he did do was so poor that most of the
homeowners had to hire other contractors to properly finish the projects.
One couple paid Smith $6,300 to replace a concrete slab for
a shop. Smith, who lacked the proper equipment, started the job, “made a mess,”
then quit, according to the L&I investigation. The couple paid more than
$16,000 to other contractors to repair the damage Smith caused and complete the
work.
At Smith’s recent sentencing, the court set a hearing for
July 12 to determine how much he must repay victims in the unregistered
contracting cases.
Smith also received credit for his time in the Pierce County
Jail, where he’s been in custody since mid-February; he had been arrested on a
bench warrant for failing to appear at an earlier hearing in the unregistered
contractor cases.
In addition to facing criminal charges, Smith has received
at least six civil infractions from L&I for unregistered contracting. He
owes the department more than $16,000 in fines from the infractions.
Hire registered contractors
State law requires construction contractors to register with
L&I. The department confirms they have liability insurance, a business
license and a bond — requirements that provide some financial recourse to
consumers if problems arise.
L&I can issue violators a civil infraction, refer them for
criminal prosecution or both.
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For media information: Debby Abe, L&I Public Affairs, debby.abe@Lni.wa.gov, (360) 902-6043
Connect with L&I: Facebook (facebook.com/laborandindustries) and Twitter (twitter.com/lniwa)
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