Aggravated Home Repair Fraud Charges For Morris Man

MORRIS, IL — A 42-year-old man from Morris remains in the Will County Jail in connection with charges of theft, aggravated home repair fraud and home repair fraud. A Will County Sheriff's investigation led to last week's arrest of Michael Southcombe, who lives on South Dwight Road.

Will County Judge Derek Ewanic set bail at $50,000.

According to the aggravated home repair fraud complaint, Southcombe entered into a contract in the amount of $3,700 to repair a man's home on South Gray Road in Custer Park "and in doing so, knowingly promised performance that (the) defendant would complete concrete work on said property, which the defendant did not intend to perform, and the victim is over 60 years of age."

The home repair fraud charge states that the defendant entered into an agreement with the Custer Park homeowner in the amount of $7,500 "which the defendant did not intend to perform."

The criminal complaint listed the dates of the crimes as Aug. 10, 2021.