A Central Florida contractor was recently arrested for theft and fraud.
Local contractor John Day, owner of Coastal Stair Company LLC, was charged with grand theft and organized scheme to defraud after taking more than $23,000 from an Ormond Beach couple for a project he never started.
The case was reported to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office Financial Crimes Unit this January, but originated in the fall of 2022, when the customers hired Day and paid him $23,027 as a deposit on materials. They never heard from him again.
Recently, when interviewed by a detective, Day claimed Hurricane Ian damaged the Ormond Beach home he rented and destroyed the materials for the job, which he said were stored in the basement.
However, the detective contacted the owner of the home and determined it did not sustain any significant damage in Hurricane Ian, nor did it have a basement.
In addition to his grand theft and fraud charges, Day was also arrested on a warrant for failure to appear on a charge of engaging in contracting without certification. He was booked at the Volusia County Branch Jail and later released after posting $31,000 bail.
