Family Wants Justice After Contractor Walks Off With Insurance Money
ROWLETT (CBSDFW.COM) - Carrie and Aaron Limerick have been out of their home so long their 8-year-old son, Gabriel, barely remembers living in it. "I remember the bed," he said, pointing to the space where it sat in his bedroom.
The tornado that struck Rowlett on December 26, 2015 went right over the family as they lay huddled in a hallway closet. "We could feel the house trying to come off the ground," said Carrie.
The Limericks hired Gregg Averitt of Timeless Exteriors to make repairs. "This house should have been fixed -- according to him -- four months after the tornado hit," said Aaron.
The couple says they paid Averitt with more than $132,000 in checks from the insurance company, but that he offered one excuse after another for not getting the job done. More than two years later, they're still waiting.
"He's a monster. He's a monster," said Aaron.
Sharon Pollock would agree -- she hired Averitt after a record-setting hail storm in April of 2016 punched holes through the roof of a commercial building in downtown Wylie she inherited from her mother. "It's been really tough," she said.
Receipts show Averitt collected $85,000 in insurance money from Pollock, but she says he never touched the roof. "You pay on your insurance for years and then someone just comes along and takes your money."
Five different property owners in North Texas told CBS 11 News Averitt took a total of nearly $250,000 from them, after they were each struck by natural disasters. They're now convinced there are more victims.
In text messages with Carrie Limerick, Averitt confirmed he was in Houston and headed to Florida, after hurricanes devastated both areas. When Carrie texted him that they'd be "homeless in 5 weeks" when the insurance company stopped covering the cost of temporary housing, he responded, "Have faith. We are working on it."
"That someone would specifically seek out people who've gone through so much already in their weakest point in their life, their most vulnerable point in their life. it's unforgiveable," said Carrie.
None of the property owners expect to see their money again, but they are now teaming up in hope they will one day see justice.
Rowlett and Sachse police confirm they are actively investigating Averitt and will forward the results of their findings to the Dallas County District Attorney's Office, which will then decide whether to pursue an indictment.
Several families say they've spoken with the FBI, which told CBS 11 it could not confirm or deny an investigation.
Averitt did not respond to calls, text messages, e-mail, or a Facebook message from CBS 11, but he did respond to complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau offering a variety of reasons he could not complete jobs.
A note on his office door in Richardson shows management changed the locks for failure to pay rent.