20 November 2023- Four years after pleading guilty to not doing work in relation to a job he was hired to complete, a Waynesboro man is facing new charges of carrying out similar actions. Louis Rodger Mills is charged with felony receiving payment for services and failure to perform and felony deceptive or fraudulent business practices. Mills failed to post bail of $15,000.
Washington Township PD were informed in August of this year that a man by the name of Louis Mills was contracted to do deck and porch work for a home on Antietam Drive in the township. The victim reportedly told police exactly what was to be completed and that part of the work was done but the contractor, Louis Mills, had left and taken all his tools and had not contacted her at all. The victim also told police that she arranged for a price of $500 before Mills informed her he would need another $500 to complete this. After negotiation, Mills and the victim reportedly settled on an additional $200 but since that day Mills had not even called her back.
Police informed the victim she should contact Mills one final time, tell him that he had five business days to respond, and if he didn’t then criminal prosecution would proceed. After the end of that five days, the victim contacted WTPD officers and let them know she was never contacted, nor had she seen him.
Officers were able to take pictures and received more information about the case. For one thing, Mills had reportedly been told to use a certain type of wood but officers noticed that clearly wasn’t the case. Additionally, the work was partially done, according to them, and some of the boards were missing and had rusted screws on them.
Some time after the initial incident, police tried contacting Mills to inform him there was a delay in the investigation but that he must contact them so an interview could be scheduled. Since the date of filing, Officers specify they never received a call from Mills. He was later picked up and charged, and is currently behind bars on $15,000 bail.
Louis Mills was previously charged and pleaded guilty to felony receiving payment for services and failure to perform in 2018. Mills pleaded guilty in 2019 and was forced to pay restitution as well as be confined in prison for 121 days.
Sources: Docket Number: CP-28-CR-0002251-2018, Docket Number: MJ-39302-CR-0000462-2023, Incident No.: WTPD202307145
