W. Va. company accused of defrauding Dunbar residents
The owners of a West Virginia construction company are accused of not paying back the vast majority of $51,000 they collected for work on a Fayette County kitchen that was never started.
Charges were filed Friday in Judge Richard Kasunic’s office against Eric Dalton, 52, of Morgantown, W.Va., and Christopher Collins, 51, of Orlando, Fla. Both are both charged with home improvement fraud, deceptive business practices and theft by deception.
Residents at a home in Dunbar Township reported to state police on March 12 that Davis Kitchen and Tile had been scheduled to begin work on their kitchen in June 2025, but had kept delaying the project.
After months without progress, the residents asked for their fee to be refunded, according to court documents. They also filed a complaint with the West Virginia attorney general’s office against the company.
The owners entered into a civil repayment agreement with Collins, who paid back about $4,870 in three installments between October and December 2025, charging documents said.
Dalton, who police said first denied any knowledge of complaints by a client, told investigators in May they had been unable to complete the work due to financial difficulties. They had also been unable to make further repayments, as the company was nearing bankruptcy, Dalton told police.
Neither Dalton nor Collins made any attempt to pay back the money while the case was being investigated, according to the criminal complaint.
Trooper Ashley Belzer requested both Dalton and Collins appear in court to answer the charges.
No preliminary hearing date had been set in either case as of Monday afternoon.