On Thursday, the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office reported the
arrest of a Canisteo man following the investigation of yet another alleged
home repair/improvement scam that occurred in the Town of Arcade involving
elderly victims. Howard D. Pratt, 43, of 4 Green Street in Canisteo was charged
with felony Grand Larceny in the Third Degree after he allegedly charged an
elderly couple in the Town of Arcade $12,000 for home improvements to their
attic and chimney. Deputies stated in a
press release that Pratt, who is currently on Probation in Steuben County, allegedly
did very little work and never returned.
Pratt turned himself in at the Town of Arcade Court and was
arraigned before Justice Bell Beyer.
Pratt was released on his own recognizance as he is still on probation
and is scheduled to appear back in the Town of Arcade Court at a later
date.
The Sheriff’s Office said that based on the investigation,
it is believed that Pratt has been doing home improvement/repair scams in the
Western New York and Southern Tier area with other people from Cohocton, Avoca,
and Perkinsville, N.Y. They allegedly go
door to door with the urgency of immediate work that is needed to be done to a
residence and then charge large sums of money.
The repairs are not even needed and the work is not done when they
receive the money. Anyone with
information or a similar complaint is asked to contact the Wyoming County
Sheriff’s Office at 585-786-8989.
