Montgomery County police are warning residents of scammers that are claiming to be home improvement specialists. They already scammed over $10,000 from one woman in Wheaton, Maryland.
On May 4, two men approached a 63-year-old woman living on Horde Street in Wheaton. Police said they told her she needed roof shingles repaired.
While both suspects were on her roof, one of them fell through, leaving a large hole in the roof.
They convinced the woman to pay $9,800 for the repairs, but they never completed the job, according to a release from police.
The two men later brought a third suspect on May 7 who claimed to be a termite exterminator. He sprayed an unknown substance inside her home and wanted to charge her over $17,600 for the service.
She refused to pay the full amount and told the three suspects that she wanted to hire someone else.
The three men began threatening the woman through phone calls and text messages.
Police said the suspects escalated the intimidation when one of the suspects used antifreeze to poison the victim’s dog. Luckily, the dog recovered.
The three men have been identified as 52 year-old Roger Severt and 36 year-old Earl Marshall Nicholson, both from West Virginia, and Jeffrey Scott Sanabria, 38.
Sanabria was arrested on July 2 in Frederick County, Virginia, for home improvement fraud-related charges and animal cruelty charges. Both Severt and Nicholson remain at large.
If you have any information on the whereabouts of Roger Severt or Earl Nicholson, please call the 4th District Patrol investigations Unit at 240-773-5476.
