Roofer Accused Of Ripping Off North Texans Back In Jail
McKINNEY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - A roofer accused stealing thousands of dollars from North Texans is in jail over questions he's back in business.
Gregg Averitt was already awaiting trial related to charges dating back to 2018.
Five customers in North Texas say Averitt, then of Timeless Exteriors, took their money and vanished.
Last year Averitt was indicted for theft and forgery.
But in a motion filed Wednesday, Collin County prosecutors argued Averitt violated his bond by trying to solicit business for another company, Affiliated Advantage.
After years of turmoil, the Limerick family is back on their feet.
First, a tornado struck their Rowlett home in December 2015. Then, they say the man they paid to make repairs, Greg Averitt, never finished the job.
The Limericks paid Averitt more than $148,000, according to court records. Their house remained in disrepair for two years.
Family Wants Justice After Contractor Walks Off With Insurance Money
Eventually, the Limericks moved out and sold the home "as is" to an investor. They were finally able to move into a new home several weeks ago.
But when Carrie Limerick heard Averitt was working for another company, she was appalled.
"He needs to go to jail and he needs to stay there for a long time," Limerick said.
The conditions of his bond forbid Averitt from soliciting or bidding on contracting or construction projects.
But according to Mike Blackwell, of Allen, that's exactly what Averitt was doing in his neighborhood after last month's hailstorm.
"I didn't recognize him at first, until we took a picture of him and saw his mugshot on your website," Blackwell said.
Blackwell said Averitt approached his neighbor and left a business card.
The same company listed on the card, Affiliated Advantage, left two signs at nearby homes.
"If he's to stand up and take credit for what he did, and say I'm paying you back, then I could see maybe a second chance," Blackwell said.
But Averitt has not paid back his customers.
In fact, he filed for bankruptcy last year in Oklahoma.
Man Accused Of Ripping Off North Texas Tornado Victims Jailed
On Thursday, Averitt appeared at the Collin County Courthouse for a hearing. A judge ordered Averitt to be held in jail until a formal bond hearing takes place on Monday.
Before the hearing, Averitt would not answer questions from The Ones for Justice.
"Mr. Averitt, there are a lot of people who are still waiting for their money," asked The Ones for Justice. "What do you have to say to them? Can you say you're soliciting business while you're out on bond?"
Carrie Limerick says in her eyes, the only way to stop Averitt is to keep him behind bars.
"I think he thinks he's untouchable," she said.
Averitt's boss at Affiliated Advantage said he believes Averitt followed the letter of his bond conditions.
In a motion, prosecutors also argued Averitt is delinquent on paying GPS monitoring fees. He was required to wear a monitoring device at a bond reduction hearing in June 2018.
As of this week, Averitt is currently $656.50 in the arrears, according to court documents.
