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It found its victims on Nextdoor but never completed projects, officials say
January 30, 2020Updated: January 30, 2020 2:39 p.m
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He is accused of intentional theft of aggregates. He is in the Harris County Jail on $5,000 bail.
Harris County Police District 1
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He is accused of intentional theft of aggregates. He is in the Harris County Jail on $5,000 bail.
Harris County Police District 13from3
A 71-year-old Heights-area man has been charged with theft after he allegedly tricked neighbors into handing over thousands of dollars for handyman work he never did, according to Harris County District 1 Police Officer Al Rosen’s office .
William Francis Herrington is accused of defrauding at least four people out of various amounts of money between July 5 and December 5, 2019, according to an indictment document filed on Wednesday. Herrington reportedly responded to posts on Nextdoor, offering his services as a contractor to carry out home repairs in Greater Heights, Woodland Heights, Rice Military, Norhill and surrounding boroughs.
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“He required an upfront deposit to cover the cost of supplies, but when cashing the checks or operating the credit card, he took the money without buying supplies or making repairs,” officials said in a news release.
According to court records, Herrington was found guilty of the same crime in 2003 and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He was granted parole in 2017, court records show. In 2018, Herrington was charged with assaulting a family member/respiratory impediment. That case was dropped after prosecutors said they couldn’t prove it “beyond a reasonable doubt”. In 1989, he was convicted of forgery and credit card fraud in Collin County, Texas.
Herrington is currently in the Harris County Jail on $5,000 bail.
The agency believes there may be more victims, they said in a press release.
If you believe you are a victim of Herrington, please contact Deputy Hathhorn at Jason.Hathhorn@cn1.hctx.net.
