NEWKIRK, OKLA. – Some customers say James Etter took their cash, but bailed on the job.
Pastor Neil Coffman hired Etter to repair his hail damaged Oklahoma City church.
His complaints include an unfinished job and shoddy work.
The church isn’t alone.
“He robbed me of $42,000,” said businessman, Don Cales.
Etter was supposed to build Cales a giant billboard off the interstate.
Six months later there’s still no sign.
“He offered plausible excuses,” Cales said. “He was an expert at that.”
Etter’s excuse is he purchased the materials months ago, but someone stole the goods and hauled them off to Mexico.
We can’t verify any of the contractor’s story because he refuses to provide us with names or written proof.
We know Etter received an estimate from a steel shop in Stillwater, but that steel shop tells the In Your Corner team Etter never actually purchased any supplies from them.
We pressed Etter for more answers and that’s when he bolted.
The contractor claims he’s got several big jobs in the works and once he gets paid he’ll make things right with Don and the church.
Meanwhile, Don’s hired an attorney to go after Etter in court.
“Oh I forgive Etter,” he said. “He’s got to come to himself and straighten his life out.
While digging into Etter’s past we discovered he’s a wanted man in Kay County for being a no show in court on a traffic case.
Etter claims he didn’t have a clue about his arrest warrant or Don’s lawsuit.
He says he’s working to restore his good name with customers.
We’ll keep you posted.
