COLLINSVILLE, Ill. (First Alert 4) – A sense of justice came from St. Clair County small claims court Monday for Jessica Wuthrich and Katie Tyler.
The women said a judge ruled in their favor against Austin Frasier, whom they claimed they had paid for roofing work that was never completed.
“For me, for both of us, this is a big step in the right direction,” Wuthrich said.
First Alert 4 met with the women in August, after Frasier was arrested by Collinsville Police.
The women said they connected with Frasier when their roofs were damaged after the March 14 storms.
Tyler said she had supplies delivered to her home, but they were promptly taken back after she said Frasier never paid for the materials.
In the months since Wuthrich and Tyler’s interactions, another person in Granite City came forward with a similar situation.
Deb Stauffer said she wrote a check to Frasier for more than $8,200 back in March and in spite of hundreds of messages back and forth, he never fixed her roof.
“I don’t think he ever intended to do it,” Stauffer said.
What makes matters worse, Stauffer says she’s Frasier’s distant cousin.
“I just never dreamed that he would do something like this, especially to me,” she said. “I’m family.”
Frasier is now charged in Madison County with aggravated home fraud, theft and deception of a senior.
His criminal cases are still open in St. Clair County.
Wuthrich and Tyler are waiting for payment now that their civil case is closed.
“We have a long road,” Tyler said. “We have to figure out what his assets are and go from there.”
Patrick Coyne, a local attorney, said the women could be waiting for a while.
“The only way you’re going to get your money back is if they do have funds, so you try garnishment if they’re working somewhere, if they have assets, you can levy on those assets,” he said.
First Alert 4 went to a listed address for Frasier in Alton for comment about the cases, but no one answered the door.
Back in Collinsville, Tyler hopes people can learn one thing before working with a contractor.
“Even though you know somebody, do you research because at the end of the day you might not know who you’re dealing with,” she said.
As for Frasier’s criminal cases, a jury trial in Madison County is scheduled to start Nov. 3.
In St. Clair County, he has a status conference on Oct. 29.
Read more on https://www.firstalert4.com
