Warrant issued for Livingston Parish contractor accused of fraud

DENHAM SPRINGS - A contractor whose license was suspended earlier this year has had a warrant issued for his arrest in a fraud case, the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office said.

WBRZ received several complaints about Daniel Scott Tompkins of Tompkins All Purpose Construction, LLC one day after reporting a contractor in East Baton Rouge was under similar scrutiny.

"I can't believe he got over on me," Doug Hatfield said of Tompkins.

After searching for a contractor on Facebook Marketplace, Hatfield hired Tompkins earlier this year.

"I hired Daniel Scott Tompkins of Tompkins All Purpose Construction in April to build a pool house [and] outdoor kitchen for me," Hatfield said.

Originally, Hatfield paid Tompkins deposits totaling $28,000. After several weeks of waiting, he says some incorrect materials were delivered.

In total, Hatfield shelled out roughly $48,000 of the $92,000 quote.

Hatfield, who provided detailed documentation of payments, contracts, and progress to WBRZ, says he fired Tompkins after seven total days of work with little improvement.

"I know he owes me about $13,850," Hatfield says.

In a phone call with WBRZ Wednesday night, Tompkins said, "I think I owe him some money," promising to pay as soon as the two "work something out."

For months, Hatfield has pressed Tompkins for payment but says he's only been given excuses.

"I've never seen any money or heard anything about any payments," Hatfield said. "He wanted me to take it in monthly payments. And when he told me that, I said no. I couldn't allow him to steal from somebody else to pay me."

Hatfield took Tompkins to the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors for taking a $92,000 job, larger than the $75,000 limit his license allowed for.

According to LSLBC, Tompkins' license was suspended and he was fined in October for "failure to provide requested records."

Tompkins confirmed his license had indeed been suspended but could not say why.

Not too far from where Hatfield lives, Melissa and Stefen Sheets had a similar experience with Tompkins. They too found Tompkins on Facebook Marketplace when looking for a contractor to expand their back patio.

Tompkins, they say, provided three references and everything appeared to check out.

They were quoted around $28,000 for the entire project.

"He asked for $7,500 up front," Melissa said. "We gave that to him. He cashed the check immediately. This was at the first week of April."

The couple says work didn't start until June, and they were given a slew of excuses when they asked why.

When work did start, they say he asked for more money and promised to be done when they returned from vacation.

"'I'm gonna need money for materials,'" Melissa recalled him saying. "'I'm gonna need money to pay my guys while you're gone.' Reluctantly, we gave him that second $8,000. So at this point, we're at $15,500."

When they returned, the work was not finished. What had been done, they say, was shoddy.

"He left our attic exposed," Melissa said. "He removed fascia board. He removed the soffits from the side of the house. He removed a load-bearing beam and didn't secure the beam."

Tompkins denied doing any shoddy work.

Days after work started, the Sheets fired Tompkins. They say he promised to pay back the money owed, but they haven't received a penny.