Couple says they got ripped off by recently indicted roofers

Henry Culvyhouse, The Daily Independent, Ashland, Ky.
·3 min read

Oct. 4—BELLEFONTE — In the spring time, the Gayhearts were approached by a young man offering an estimate to replace their roof at their home in Bellefonte.

Paul Gayheart said he'd seen the outfit — Shield Roofing, of South Point — repair a few neighbors' roofs and thought they'd done a good job.

"I'd seen them working and they worked hard and did a good job," he said. "I didn't hear any complaints, so when that boy came by the house, I figured I'd give them a shot."

Gayheart said he picked the middle of the pack out of three estimates — the young salesman said he'd need to put 10% down in order for the outfit to buy materials.

He said that made him a bit hesitant, since they didn't have a definite start date on when the work would be performed.

But in June, he cut the check and that's when the dodging began, Gayheart said.

"Everyone I talked to lied to me," Gayheart said. "I would call and they said, 'we're waiting on this' then another guy would say, 'we're waiting on that.'"

Then a friend of Gayheart's wife sent them a copy of an article from the Huntington Herald-Dispatch listing indictments issued in Lawrence County, Ohio.

At the very top was Shield Roofing and co-owners Luis Escobedo and Jose Cabrelas. The company itself had been charged with two counts of thefts and two counts of theft from a protected class, while the two men were charged with the same.

Thefts — for a total of $18,000 — occurred in April and May 2022, right around the time Gayheart said he'd been asked about getting a new roof.

"I realized there was a problem when the materials never arrived, but when my wife's friend sent us that article, we've been hot on the trail ever since," Gayheart said.

By coming forward, Gayheart said he hopes others in Kentucky will speak out about any shady dealings with the company, which sent out a letter on Aug. 31 announcing it was shutting its door, according to WSAZ.

The sheriff of Lawrence County, Ohio, had told the TV stations people affected outside of Ohio needed to get up with their respective attorney generals' offices.

According to a spokeswoman with the Kentucky Attorney General's Office, no one has lodged a complaint against Shield Roofing in the commonwealth in the last five years.

Both the sheriffs of Boyd and Greenup Counties and Kentucky State Police Post 14 said they haven't received any reports, either.

Gayheart said he reported his concerns to the Bellefonte Police Department. When told no one had raised a complaint to the KY AG's Office, Gayheart said he was surprised.

"There's got to be more than just us," he said. "There's already been 20 complaints in West Virginia and several in Ohio."

A spokeswoman for KYAG Office said any with a complaint can submit a form online at https://secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/AttorneyGeneral/ConsumerMediationForm.

Those without a computer may call the KY Consumer Protection Division at 1-888-432-9257.

(606) 326-2653 — henry@dailyindependent.com