Police Department

Male Arrested after Defrauding Elderly; Damaging Homes

Ofc. Stephanie Kennedy

Friday, October 30, 2020 at 9:34 p.m.

Officers from SPD’s Patrol Anti-Crime Team (PACT) booked Perceleono R Lopez (40) for several felony charges today after an investigation showed he was targeting elderly citizens in the area as a “contractor”. He damaged at least three homes doing work he was not licensed to do, including $15,000 worth of damage to a historically registered home (see attached pictures).

This investigation started after officers became aware Lopez had approached three separate elderly citizens in the Spokane area offering his painting services. A check of Lopez revealed he’d been cited twice in 2019 by the Department of Labor and Industries for failing to register as a contractor. Lopez would start work on the homes, then keep asking for more money in order to continue his work. In total, so far, his thefts add up to approximately $8500, but officers are concerned there are more victims who have yet to be identified.

Lopez operated using the name Percy Lopez with a company name of “Percy’s Painting”, advertising on Craig’s List, LinkedIn, and HireRush. Anyone who believes they, or their family members, were victims of Lopez are asked to email Ofc. Stephanie Kennedy at skennedy@spokanepolice.org or call Crime Check at 509-456-2233 and reference incident #2020-20182496.

Today, October 30, 2020, just after 2:30pm, PACT Officers responded to a residence in the 5100 of north Howard with probable cause to arrest Lopez for Failing to Register as a Contractor (gross misdemeanor) and 1^st Degree Theft by Deception (felony). After taking him into custody, officers found him to be in possession of both methamphetamine and heroin, so two counts of Possession of Controlled Substance (felony) were added. Lopez will be in court Monday at 1:30pm.

Unfortunately, scam/fake contractors often use hard sales tactics making it seem like a deal too good to pass up. They often also take advantage of the most vulnerable people in our communities. You can always go to the Department of Labor and Industries website to verify they are licensed; https://lni.wa.gov/licensing-permits/contractors/hiring-a-contractor/verify-contractor-tradesperson-business as well as the Better Business Bureau to find out how they were rated by previous customers.

• Newer
• Older