Port Charlotte woman charged with operating as an unlicensed contractor
NORTH PORT – A 63-year old Port Charlotte woman faces 22 felony charges for allegedly conducting construction business in the Wellen Park area without a license. Authorities said she used her deceased husband's contractor's license for the work.
According to the probable cause affidavit filed by North Port Police Detective David J. Polce, Doreen Ann Heneault was arrested Monday and charged with 11 counts of filing an instrument with intent to defraud and 11 counts of uttering a false instrument.
She has since been released on bond.
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Heneault allegedly conducted business under her deceased husband’s contractor’s license, filed documents with false signatures and used an improperly obtained notary stamp to notarize the documents – which is considered an attempt to defraud the state of Florida.
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According to the arrest report, an Matthew Ackerson contacted the department on April 4, alleging that Heneault was using the contractor’s license of her late husband, Glenn Heneault, who died April 29, 2020.
The report noted she never reported her husband’s death to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, as required by law.
Ackerson also reported that a document authorizing Heneault to sign permit applications and make revisions on plans on behalf of Miller Construction of Sarasota Co. Inc., was notarized on Dec. 8, 2021 with a stamp using the name of Lara McCandless.
Police contacted McCandless on April 7, who told her that she was not in possession of the notary stamp on the date when that document was notarized.
McCandless told police that she was employed by Heneault for about a year and was let go in June 2021.She confirmed that the signature on the December 2021 document was not hers.
Polce noted that two different documents purported to be notarized by McCandless had different signatures. She later told him that she never pre-signed any documents.
The officer said he found six notice of construction commencement documents on file with the Sarasota County Clerk of Court that were signed after Oct. 28, 2021, when McCandless’ stamp was reported missing.
Polce reported later finding more documents notarized with McCandless’ signature.
Though all incidents occurred in unincorporated Sarasota County, Polce has been deputized by Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt Hoffman to pursue crimes outside of North Port city limits.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Woman faces 22 felony charges for operating as unlicensed contractor
