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Lakeland Police Nab Suspect In Home Improvement Scam

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TBO.com

Published: October 13, 2008

Updated: 10/13/2008 06:02 pm

Lakeland police have arrested a man they say was involved in a home improvement scam that targeted residents of a retirement community.

Robert Lee Cooper, 42, is accused of accepting partial payments from residents and telling them he will paint driveways or install flooring, Lakeland police spokesman Jack Gillen said in a statement.

Cooper, who used the alias "Dave McDonnell" and operated under the business name "Dave's Custom Driveways," did not complete the home improvements, Gillen said.

Officers arrested Cooper after they tried to question him and he ran, leading authorities on a brief foot chase, Gillen said. Cooper was charged with resisting arrest without violence and taken to Polk County Jail.

Cooper also had warrants for grand theft and violating probation for grand theft out of Sarasota County; unlicensed contracting and scheming to defraud out of Manatee County; larceny and theft out of Volusia County; and grand theft and failure to appear in court out of Ann Arbor, Mich.

Residents who may have been victimized in the home improvement scam may call the Lakeland Police Department at (863) 981-0196.

Police urge residents to use caution when hiring people to perform work when they are contacted through door-to-door soliciting or asked to provide money up front before the work is completed.

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