A paving contractor with a history of legal troubles and a reputation as a scam artist was arrested Wednesday by Florence police, Lt. Carlos Raines said.
Tommy Clack, who NewsChannel 15 reported on several months ago as operating in Horry County, faces four counts of obtaining goods over $5,000 under false pretenses, Raines said. After NewsChannel 15's report on Clack in Horry County, viewers said they began to see Clack doing work around Florence County.
Raines said Clack defrauded at least four -- but probably more -- customers into paying too much for bad work. Raines said Clack would tell customers he was doing paving jobs for the city and had leftover asphalt that he needed to get rid of. Raines said Clack never did work for the city, and the work he did for customers was poor.
Raines said Clack would charge people for paving a 30,000 square foot section when it in fact it was a much smaller area.
Before he was in Florence, Clack ran Horry County Paving for a few months. The Better Business Bureau said he was a high-pressure salesmen who ripped off customers, charging too much for shoddy work. The BBB reported stories similar to the ones Florence police investigated.
Also on Wednesday, The Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation served a cease and desist order to Clack.
The order said Clack is not authorized by the board to engage in the practice of commercial asphalt paving construction.
The LLR ordered Clack to "immediately cease and desist from engaging in the practice of paving construction ... until such time, if ever, (Clack) may be properly authorized by the Board in accordance with the law."
Clack spent a few minutes in the Florence County Detention Center, but he was released on bail.
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