SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A contractor refused to start construction on an in-ground pool or refund the money of a Shelby Township woman who paid him $60,000 up front for the job, police said.
The woman filed a police report last month saying that she had hired Brandon Lewis Heitmann, 30, of Washington Township, to dig and install an in-ground pool at her home. She paid him a $60,000 deposit in August 2022, according to authorities.
The pool was supposed to be completed by June 2023, but after receiving the $60,000 payment, Heitmann never started the job, police said.
He told police that he was having financial problems that prevented him from completing the project or refunding the woman’s money. Heitmann is the owner of Exigent Design.
He was arraigned July 28, 2023, on charges of false pretenses between $50,000 and $100,000 and fraudulent use of the building contract fund by a contractor.
Bond was set at $30,000, cash/surety.
“Our department is currently investigating another case with this same individual, and I urge anyone who feels that they may have been scammed by this contractor to file a report immediately with their local police department, as we feel there may be more victims out there,” Shelby Township police Chief Robert Shelide said.