Contractor Ordered To Repay $189,390

Sat., Jan. 14, 1995

From Staff And Wire Reports

A judge has decided contractor Ron Stratton owes $189,390 to dozens of customers he has defrauded.

The sum includes restitution, civil penalties, lawyers fees and court costs.

The trouble is that Stratton owns virtually nothing, said Brett DeLange of the office of consumer protection for the Idaho attorney general. Former victims who have won judgments against Stratton have found he either rents or leases everything, leaving little or nothing of value to be confiscated.

“We’re going to proceed and try to collect from him,” DeLange said from Boise.DeLange wasn’t at all surprised that Stratton didn’t show up for district court, and thus had a default judgment entered against him.

Through Stratton Construction, the Coeur d’Alene resident has taken deposits to do work from as far north as Newport, Wash., all around North Idaho and even in western Montana. He rarely finishes the work, and has been running from Washington state officials since 1991.

Victims of Ron Stratton have organized a meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Lake City High School in Coeur d’Alene.

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Contractor Ordered To Repay $189,390

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

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