Police: Contractor took cash for new heater and never returned
SALEM, Ind. (WISH) — A 49-year-old man was formally charged Thursday with theft after he took payment for a new heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system but never installed it, police say.
John Aaron McKinley, of Floyds Knobs, on Thursday remained in the Washington County jail in Salem on $12,000 bond, according to online jail and court records.
Indiana State Police Detective Travis Baker began investigating after a homeowner in December reported McKinley, the owner of a heating and air business that sports his name, took more than $10,000 to repair her heating and air-conditioning system, then removed it, and never returned.
A state police news release issued Thursday afternoon said, “Detective Baker also learned the homeowners were temporarily heating their house with a wood stove and expected the repairs to be made before cold temperatures set in.”
The release did not provided the city or town of the homeowner.
McKinley was apprehended Wednesday without incident, state police say.
His next hearing in Washington Superior Court was set for Feb. 21. Online court records don’t list an attorney for McKinley.
Floyds Knobs is an unincorporated Indiana community in Floyd County. It’s about a 15-minute drive northwest of downtown Louisville, Kentucky.