CLEARFIELD – A DuBois man found guilty of taking funds intended for a construction project was sentenced in Clearfield County Court.
Keith Conrad, 51, 203 N. Fourth St., DuBois, was found guilty of theft by failure to make required disposition of funds after a trial in April. Judge Paul E. Cherry sentenced him to six months to one year in jail and two years consecutive probation. He was fined $500 plus costs. He must pay restitution, totaling more than $27,400.
Conrad was hired to build a home in Treasure Lake by Ronald Ferry in 2009. More than $28,000 intended for a geothermal heating and cooling unit for the home was never given to the company that provided and installed the unit, according to testimony at the trial.
Ferry testified that he bought property in Treasure Lake to build a vacation home. He wanted “something small but economical and energy efficient.”
He and Conrad reached a deal for him to do the work for $155,000, plus $28,000 for the geothermal unit. A few modifications added to the price, which Ferry paid. The geothermal unit was installed by Boyer Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Inc. of Bellwood.
In August of 2010, Ferry was contacted by Scott Boyer, who asked if he had paid for the system. Ferry said this was the first time he realized it had not been paid for even though he had given the money for it to Conrad. Ferry then contacted Conrad, who said he would “take care of it.”
The last time Ferry saw Conrad was Aug. 25, 2010 and he had not paid the bill. Ferry tried to contact Conrad many times after that but was unable to get hold of him. Eventually Boyer’s put a lien on his property for $28,074.95.
Conrad never finished the home leaving Ferry to hire someone else to complete it.
Scott Boyer, owner of Boyer Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Inc. testified that he did an estimate for the geothermal unit for the Ferry home in October of 2009. He explained this type of heating and cooling system uses the earth to provide heat in the winter and take heat in the summer.
Conrad gave him a deposit of more than $2,800 for 10 percent of the total price. The unit was installed and Conrad was billed for the remaining amount. He never paid for it.
At the point where 90 percent of the work was done, he talked with Conrad and asked him if Ferry had paid him. Conrad confirmed Ferry had paid him, but said he “had done something else with that money.”