UPDATE, OCT. 15: Stephen Ransom failed to appear at his Oct. 15 arraignment and teh court issued a bench warrant with a $500 bond.

Original Story:

A Spokane County man faces unregistered contractor charges in connection with a construction scams Renton that bilked consumers out of thousands of dollars.

The King County Prosecutor’s office has charged Stephen Paul Ranson, 49, of Mead in Spokane County, with one count of unregistered contracting.

Ranson is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 15.

The case resulted from Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) investigations. L&I reminds consumers to never pay large deposits, don’t pay in full until the job is done, and always make sure that construction contractors are registered in Washington.

In 2013, three homeowners hired Ranson for a $23,000 job to raise and extend a retaining wall that ran along their back yards. In August 2013, the owners each wrote checks to Ranson and Echo Falls Construction for a total deposit of $12,015, charging papers said.

Although he hadn’t done any work, Ranson asked the owners for additional funds — more than $3,000 — a few months later. This time he used the name SR Construction Inc., according to charging papers. The owners didn’t pay, and after contacting the city, learned Ranson had not even applied for permits.

It turned out the original business name Ranson used belonged to a relative, and L&I had suspended that business’s registration. In addition, L&I records show Ranson wasn’t registered as a contractor when he provided an estimate for the retaining wall and deposited the homeowners’ checks.

State law requires construction contractors to register with L&I. To register, contractors must have liability insurance, a business license and a bond to allow for some financial recourse if the project goes awry.

Consumers can check whether a contractor is registered by going to www.Verify.Lni.wa.gov or calling 1-888-811-5974.

Unregistered contracting is a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.