Kermit Leger, 43, was arrested by the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office Tuesday. He’s charged with home improvement fraud. He’s wanted in several parishes: Acadia, Calcasieu, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, and St. Mary.
“He seemed like he was an honest guy,” said Betty Hills, of Acadia Parish. “I believed him, and we got caught.”
Betty Hills and her husband Byron live on Race Track Lane, just outside Rayne. She says Leger quoted her a price of $89,000 to repair her roof, a fence, and patio after the hurricane. She says he never came back to do the work, after she gave him $5,000 cash up front.
“I told my husband something is definitely wrong now. All the calls. All the excuses and everything,” said Hills.
The Hills’ are one of two cases of contractor fraud, allegedly by Leger, in Acadia Parish.
“This person is trusting in someone to come in,” said Acadia Parish Sheriff KP Gibson. “I paid you money to do work. They simply want their home fixed. It’s very sickening and aggravating, regardless whether they can afford it or not. It’s someone that stole their money.”
In Calcasieu Parish, Leger is accused of not completing a roofing job that had been damaged from Hurricane Delta. An investigation revealed the victim had paid him for materials and services in October and never returned.
In Lafayette Parish, Leger allegedly was hired to construct a barn, and was paid $3,600 to start the job, but never did the job.
Authorities say Leger also failed to appear on contractor fraud charges in Iberia Parish. He has an active arrest warrant in St. Landry Parish for residential contractor fraud.
Betty Hills says she’s happy Leger was finally arrested.
“Thank you God. That was a daily prayer. A nightly prayer for us. I’ve never been a victim of anyone doing this to us ever.”
If you had an agreement with Kermit Leger, also known as Joey Leger, and you paid for work and it was not done, you are urged to contact the sheriff’s office in your parish.
