A local woman claimed she lost $50,000 to a home renovation contractor after already suffering significant losses. That man is due in court later this morning on grand theft charges.
A fire destroyed Lilliemae Blankenship’s Elyria home last August.
“I pull up. The entire street is blocked off. “Oh my God,” Blankenship exclaimed. “I hit the ground, had a severe panic attack, and couldn’t breathe… I lost everything my mother left me. I lost everything. “My children lost everything,” she told us.
Insurance covered her rebuilding costs. Blankenship stated that a high school friend, Kenneth Stuart, who goes by the middle name Shaun, owned his own contracting company called Simply Carpentry. She asked him for assistance.
“I trusted him. “I’ve known him for over 20 years,” Blankenship said. “Like, why wouldn’t I trust him?”
ONE TO COMPANY, ONE TO HIM
She stated that Stuart asked her to write two checks, one for $50,000 to his business and another for $50,000 to him personally. “He specifically stated that it was to appropriately allocate the funds,” Blankenship said.
She explained that after that, there were numerous delays.
“He says, oh, I’m just waiting for permits. Blankenship said, “As soon as I get ’em, we’re set.”
She informed us that Stuart kept putting off the demolition of the burned-out house. She expressed her dissatisfaction with the lack of completed work.
“I would like my $100,000 returned immediately. Period. “I don’t want you doing my house,” Blankenship stated. “I don’t trust you anymore.”
PAID SOME BACK, NOT ALL; COPS GET INVOLVED
Blankenship claimed Stuart eventually paid her back $50,000, but not the remaining $50,000.
She contacted the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, which insisted Stuart pay up, but she claimed she received nothing.
She also made a report to Elyria Police.
“For us, it started in March of this year,” said Captain Bill Lantz of the Elyria Police Department’s Investigative Division. He mentioned to them that Blankenship had recently suffered a significant loss in her home. “It’s hard to even fathom or understand how somebody could try to take advantage of somebody that’s in that situation,” we heard him say.
Captain Lantz stated that they tried numerous times to obtain Stuart’s side of the story.
“I could never get him to come inside. “I couldn’t get him to provide any appropriate documents or anything like that,” said the captain.
TRYING TO GET A HOLD OF CONTRACTOR
News 5 investigators attempted to communicate with Stuart via email and phone, but received no response. So we visited his home in Chagrin Falls.
“Hi, is Shaun around?” We asked as the front door opened.
Someone answered the door, stating that he was not at home, that the charges were false, and that they would contact their attorney to arrange an interview with us. News 5 investigators have not heard from them.
We discovered that Stuart is no stranger to cops. In 2016, he pleaded guilty to attempted felonious assault involving two women in Cuyahoga County and received a nine-month prison sentence. However, the judge allowed him to serve community service on his conviction. Stuart has been arrested on several grand theft felony charges in Blankenship’s case.
She claimed Stuart had ruined her chances of finding a new place to live.
“Because I still haven’t gotten my money back, I don’t have enough money to rebuild,” Blankenship informed the audience. “I don’t even have enough money to buy another house because of him.”
The Ohio Secretary of State recently canceled the limited liability partnership Simply Carpentry.
