Man who posed as contractor sentenced, ordered to pay $8K restitution

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A Greeleyville man accused of dishonest contracting services in as many as 15 cases in five counties has pleaded guilty to charges in Clarendon County. Chandler Brenton "Chad Warren of 70 German Road pleaded guilty in late January to two counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent, value more than $2,000, but less tan $10,000. Third Circuit Judge R. Ferrell Cothran gave Warren concurrent sentences of five years in prison, suspended to 90 days in jail and five years' probation. Cothran also required restitution of $3,505.13 in one case and $4,400 in another as part of Warren's probation, allowing the probation to lapse after 18 months if restitution is made before then. Warren also pleaded guilty to fraudulent checks or stop payment of a value less than $1,000, first offense, receiving a concurrent sentence of two years in prison, suspended to 90 days in jail and five years' probation. A final charge of practicing contracting services without a license was remanded to magistrate's court. Warren had been held at the Clarendon County Detention Center since Dec. 6, 2017, when he was transferred from Williamsburg County after pleading to similar charges there. Warren was sentenced Nov. 28 in Williamsburg County Magistrate’s Court to six months for swindling, the maximum time for that crime. The Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office reached out to the pubic in May to find potential victims of Warren, who already had more than 15 complaints in five counties at that time for allegedly accepting payments for carpentry and construction work and then absconding with funds before work was completed. Sheriff Tim Baxley said in certain instances in Clarendon County and areas like Darlington, Florence and Georgetown counties that Warren allegedly started work, but left properties badly damaged due to apparently inability to complete it. Baxley said that one Clarendon complainant, who wished to remain anonymous, had paid Warren earlier in the year about $4,000 to repair her roof. “(The suspect) caused serious damage to the roof and never completed the work,” said Baxley in an emailed report. “The roof now has a tarp on it to stop the rain from coming in. Fifteen other potential victims have contacted the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office in reference to work that they paid (the suspect) to do at their residences, in which he did not complete the work and left the property badly damaged.” Ashley Cribb told The Manning Times earlier in 2017 that she paid Warren more than $6,000 to replace her home's vinyl siding and install insulation in early 2016. Cribb said she is pursuing legal action in civil court against Warren as well, after he was ordered to pay restitution and allegedly failed to do so. “No, I don’t feel he’s sorry for what he’s done,” Cribb said. “But this is something that needed to be taken care of. He has been going around doing this to so many people.” Cribb said that Warren had smiled at her during his bond hearings. “He had no remorse at all for what he has done to everyone,” she said.