Southampton County, Va. - "Refuse his offer." That's the warning coming from the Southampton Co. Sheriff's Office about a man going door-to-door offering to repair gravel driveways.
They posted about it on their Facebook page recently in reference to a man named David Newell.
There's now an outstanding summons for him in Southampton County for operating without a county business license.
The Isle of Wight Sheriff's office says he was operating in their area without a license as well.
James Jones says he was one of the people who had Newell do some work at his house.
"He said, 'You got a couple holes in your yard. You want me to fix them?' I said 'yeah, how much?," Jones told NewsChannel 3. He says he asked four times but was never given a price.
Jones says he figured it couldn't be more than 120 bucks to spread a little gravel over a few spots, so he had him do the work.
When he got the actual total, he couldn't believe it.
"I was like, 'you're kidding,' and I said '$550 man?' and he said, 'yeah, $550."
Lt. Potter with the Isle of Wight Co. Sheriff's Office says it can be risky working with someone who is not licensed.
He says to make sure to have a price agreed on ahead of time that is written out in a contract, and even if someone says they're licensed - check.
"Here in Isle of Wight County they can call the Commissioner of Revenue to see if that person has a business license. If they're a licensed contractor through the state, then they'll have their contractor's card," said Lt. Potter.
As for Newell, the Southampton County Sheriff's Office says they spoke to him Thursday and he said he would turn himself in the next day, but as of Tuesday they still haven't seen him.
