Contractor Accused Of Taking North Texas Tornado Victims' Insurance Money Indicted
McKINNEY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - A grand jury has indicted a contractor accused of taking North Texas tornado victims' insurance money then walking away without doing repairs.
The Collin County grand jury indicted Gregg Averitt on a forgery charge out of Sachse.
Averitt was arrested at an Oklahoma City courthouse in June and was later extradited to Collin County.
In February, CBS 11 talked to people in Rowlett and Wylie who also say Averitt never complete their renovation work.
Sachse Police filed criminal charges against Averitt for felony theft and forgery on behalf of two victims – Sharon Pollock and Luis Sanchez.
Pollock paid Averitt more than $85,000 to repair a hail damaged roof on commercial property in downtown Wylie she'd inherited from her mother, but police found no sign of he'd done any work.
Sanchez, meanwhile, reported Averitt forged a Bank of America endorsement signature on a check to collect almost $15,000 for work never completed.
The victims, who've worked together trying to track Averitt's movements, called the Collin County Sheriff's Office, urging them to take advantage of Averitt's bankruptcy hearing to make an arrest.
They didn't know if their efforts would pay off, but five familes made the drive to Oklahoma City Tuesday hoping to at least confront Averitt and tell their story to the U.S Trustee assigned to his bankruptcy case.
The trip paid off, as they witnessed the arrest they'd had hoped for.
"I was shaking. I was so infuriated and happy at the same time," said Carrie. "He's finally been stopped."