Unlicensed Contractor Arrested In Lake Placid

A Lake Placid man was out on a $1,500 bond following his Sunday arrest on warrants charging fraud.

John Cleveland Clement, 50, of 852 Durmon Ave., Lake Placid, was arrested on warrants charging scheming to defraud property under $20,000 and contracting without a license.

On Jan. 22, the Highlands County Sheriff's Office was contacted by a Lake Placid property owner who reported fraud. He said his property is adjacent to a canal and has a seawall on the west side.

The victim told authorities he started doing online research to find a marine/construction company to replace the seawall. He said he found a company called Jabos Marine Construction in Lake Placid that sent him bids, according to a sheriff's office report.

Jabos Marine had the lowest bid and the victim decided to hire them to build the new seawall.

On Oct. 1, 2008, the victim said he met with Clement, the owner of Jabos Marine, to sign a contract and discuss the details of the construction. The total price of the job came to $4,000, which included labor and materials, the report stated. A $2,000 deposit was required.

The victim reportedly gave Clement a check for $1,000 on Oct. 1. The subject asked him to make the check out to Jabos Clement instead of Jabos Marine Construction.

Clement said he would use the initial $1,000 to start purchasing materials. The victim said he would send the additional $1,000 once he returned home to Orlando, according to the report. The second check was reportedly sent about a week-and-a-half later.

At the beginning of November, the victim contacted Clement, who said he was behind on another job and had not started the seawall construction in Lake Placid. The suspect allegedly said he would start the work "promptly."

On Nov. 20, the victim said construction on the seawall had still not begun. He told investigators he had called Clement roughly 25 to 30 times and left messages.

Jim Selke, an enforcement official with the Highlands County Building Department, advised he was familiar with Clement and knew of other cases where the suspect allegedly received money from customers and did not complete the work, according to the report.

Clement's contracting license had also reportedly been placed on hold on Sept. 23, 2008. That license had expired Sept. 30, 2008.

The suspect allegedly admitted to signing the contract on Oct. 1 and denied having any knowledge his license was on hold at the time of the signing.

Clement told authorities he became "overburdened" and forgot about the victim's seawall. He said he would return the money or begin construction.