Jeannette contractor accused of bilking $7.2K from church that hired him to demolish house
A Jeannette man is accused of taking $7,200 from a city church to raze a building and never completing the work, according to court papers.
An arrest warrant was issued Thursday for Lee E. Dobies, 49, on charges of theft and deceptive business practices filed by Westmoreland County detectives.
First Baptist Church officials reported to detectives providing Dobies with the money to demolish an abandoned house on North Second Street near the church, according to court papers. Police said he removed windows and other items of value before telling the church he didn’t have the equipment necessary to complete the job.
Church officials provided investigators copies of checks and the contract with Dobies, who was operating The Sky’s the Limit Construction. During an interview with police, Dobies said he didn’t have equipment or financial resources to do the job, according to court papers.
A phone number listed for him in the police complaint did not work.
Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.
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