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The alleged victim went to Westport Police to report that he gave the deposit to Champion Pool Service to install a pool, said Westport Police.
The person said he had a verbal agreement with the company's owner Richard Sutcliffe to draft a contract and full quote once he (the victim) obtained the required permits from the Town of Westport, according to police.
The check was reportedly cashed and he got a receipt on July 22, 1018, police said.
The pool company allegedly later took down several sections of the victim’s fence and dug a hole in the backyard, according to Westport Police.
The homeowner reported to police that no further work was completed and he was unable to make contact with Sutcliffe since Nov. 27, 2018, police said.
Police investigated and an officer met with Sutcliffe, who agreed to provide the victim an invoice and return the balance of his deposit, minus the billable hours already spent on the project, according to police.
As of May 2019, Sutcliffe had not provided an invoice or returned any of the victim’s deposit despite multiple phone calls and assurances by Sutcliffe that he would do so, said Westport Police.
The investigating officer reportedly learned that Sutcliffe also never provided the required written contract to the victim, nor had he provided the three-day notice of cancellation as required by law, according to police.
An arrest warrant was issued to Sutcliffe who turned himself in on Thursday, June 27.
He was charged with second-degree larceny, failure to furnish contract with cancellation statement, and failure to provide written three-day notice of cancellation, police said.
Sutcliffe was released after posting a $50,000 court set bond and is due in Norwalk court Tuesday, July 9.
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