2 Va. men charged in scam

NORTH LIMA — Two Virginia men have been charged with felony theft by deception in a what police are calling a driveway paving scam.

Beaver Police Chief Carl N. Frost said the arrests should serve as a reminder that it is extremely uncommon to have random contractors stop at your home and offer to make repairs with extra material they say they have left over. “If it sounds too good to be true, it is,” the chief said.

Last Friday, the Virginia men, Lyle L. Marpole II, 54, and Saul H. Williams, 27, stopped at a home in the 13000 block of South Avenue and told the homeowner they would replace his blacktop driveway for $3,000 with materials they had left over, Frost said. The men had the homeowner pay and sign a contract and then they spread a little gravel, he said.

When Marpole and Williams did not show up Saturday, as agreed upon, the homeowner contacted police and gave them the license plate number of a Ford pickup. A Beaver officer spotted the pickup after it left a Market Street motel and made a traffic stop.

Frost said one of the suspects admitted they conned the victim out of $3,000 and were headed to the Akron area. A woman with Marpole and Williams provided a written account of what occurred, the police chief said.

If you or someone you know has been victimized by this scam, contact Beaver Detective Lt. Kenneth Frost at (330) 549-5338 .