Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Todd Verk took $25,000 from people, but never finished work he promised.
MERCER, Pa. -- A California man received a jail term followed by probation and was ordered to make restitution for bilking people out of more than $25,000 for remodeling work that was never done.
Judge John Reed of Mercer County Common Pleas Court sentenced Todd Verk, 43, of Encino, Calif., to seven days to 18 months in jail and five years' probation on several counts of theft by deception.
According to court documents, from April to October 2004, Verk, operating under the business name "Unique Designs," East State Street, Sharon, contracted with seven customers to do jobs such as installation of bathrooms, kitchen cabinets and kitchen countertops. In each case, he accepted downpayments of up to $5,300. When customers inquired why the jobs weren't being done, he would tell them equipment was on back order and he refused to refund their money.
Other sentences
Judge Reed also sentenced several others Tuesday:
U Russell Hamilton, 19, of Mercer-Butler Pike Road, Grove City, got two years' probation for a consolidated count of possession with intent to deliver marijuana, a felony. On Oct. 13, 2004, he was apprehended in Grove City with 14.5 grams of marijuana.
U Ruth Hart, 56, of Bolde Drive, Hermitage, was placed on three years' probation for felony retail theft. On Nov. 4, 2004, according to court documents, she took a $7.62 tube of lipstick from a Hermitage retailer. The offense is a felony because it is the third or subsequent offense.
U Patrick McCann, of Ives Avenue, Youngstown, was sentenced to one to six months in jail followed by two years' probation for failure to control/report a dangerous fire, a misdemeanor. He also was ordered to make $7,000 restitution. According to court documents, on May 7, 2003, McCann failed to report his 1993 Ford F-350 truck on fire in Mercer. McCann had been initially charged with conspiring with two others to burn the vehicle to collect insurance.
U Loretta Rowe, 30, of Third Avenue, Sharon, was sentenced to one to three months in jail followed by three years' probation for theft by unlawful taking, a felony. According to court documents, on July 17, 2003, she took a horse-drawn sleigh and buckboard valued at $5,000 from a storage site in Pymatuning Township.
U Joshua Wilson, 21, of Mercer-New Wilmington Road, Mercer, was placed on two years' probation for delivery of a controlled substance, a felony, for possessing 5.8 and 2.7 grams of marijuana on Oct. 23 and 26, 2004, respectively, in Mercer. He was ordered to make restitution to the Pennsylvania State Police lab for testing and to the state for "buy" money.
Also this week, Mercer County Common Pleas Court Judge Thomas Dobson sentenced the following people:
U Demond Anderson, 27, of East Cleveland, Ohio, was placed on 15 months' probation for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, a felony, for possessing bottles used for smoking or inhaling marijuana when apprehended Aug. 14, 2004, on Interstate 80 in Findley Township.
U Norma Esposito, 56, of Roxbury St., Youngstown, was sentenced to 16 to 48 months in prison for felony retail theft. She was apprehended May 17 at a Hermitage retailer with $1,408 worth of merchandise, including 36 bottles of cologne, a booster seat, clothes and DVDs. The offense is a felony because it is the third or subsequent offense.
U Ricardo Gonzalez, 30, of "A" Street, Sharon, was resentenced on a 2003 conviction for accident involving death or personal injury, a misdemeanor, and driving without a license, a summary offense. Originally placed on probation, Gonzalez was sentenced to six to 18 months in prison because he violated his probation terms. Violations included failure to complete community service, obtain a GED, get a drug and alcohol evaluation and changing his residence without permission. Gonzalez was the driver in a one-vehicle accident Sept. 7, 2003, in Sharon. He left the scene, though five occupants of his vehicle were injured, some seriously.
U Stacy Hill, 20, of Howling Road, Jamestown, was placed on 15 months' probation for theft by unlawful taking or disposition, a misdemeanor. In May, she took $375 from a residence in Greenville, court documents state.