FESTUS, Mo. — Businesses and residents in Festus said they're out of thousands of dollars after working with Elite Renovations.
Kelly Sacco runs a local coupon magazine. She said her first run-in with James "Jamie" Kelton, who owns Elite Renovations, was when his company was called JK Remodel & Design LLC. Sacco ran an ad in her magazine for Kelton's business. She said he reached back out to her to run another ad after moving to a new location and changing the business name to Elite Renovations.
Kelton wrote her a check from $3,800 for the ad, but the check bounced. Sacco said he wrote her another check with an additional $25 to pay the bounced check fees, but that check bounced as well.
"Eventually he just stopped replying to texts and calls," Sacco said.
Sacco filed a civil suit against Kelton in the Jefferson County Circuit Court.
"Jamie was a no-show, so we won by default," Sacco said.
Sacco said Kelton still hasn't paid her since the judgment was made in March.
Debbie Commerford said she hired Kelton to renovate her basement.
"I was told the project would take five to six weeks," Commerford said. "It took seven months, but it still wasn't finished. I had enough."
Commeford said she fired Kelton from the project, but not before paying nearly $40,000 for equipment and labor.
"Then I had to pay about $26,000 for someone to come in and tear down everything he did," Commerford said.
5 On Your Side got in touch with Kelton.
He said he was dealing with difficulties with his employees while working on Commerford's home, and he said she fired him before he was able to complete it. Kelton also said he's stopped operating his company.
"We shut everything down back in January," Kelton said.
Kelton said the allegations against him are "one-sided".
"It's a lot of he-said-she-said," Kelton said. "It's a bad deal but things happen...it's part of the business world, I guess."
Kelton has been sued for similar financial issues both with Elite Renovations and JK Remodel & Design. He admitted to 5 On Your Side that he had been arrested for similar issues in the past.
Sacco said she is concerned that Kelton has been able to operate under multiple business names, while still being accused of similar practices.
"There's nothing stopping him from just moving to another town and opening another business and doing a similar thing," Sacco said.
Kelton said he is now working for a different company, instead of operating his own.
Sacco and other businesses that told 5 On Your Side they plan to sue will have to file civil lawsuits. According to the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, anyone wanting to pursue criminal charges for writing bad checks has to have the original check.
"The bank doesn't give you the check back usually," Sacco said. "Just the kind of copies I have. Anyone who's doing this sort of business, make sure you get your original check back from the bank, just in case you're in this situation."