NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — More problems now for the owner of Tennessee Metal Roofing. Not only is he facing criminal charges and a growing list of angry customers, James Kenton's state contractor's license was just suspended during an emergency meeting of the Tennessee Contractors Board.
James Kenton and his roofing company, Tennessee Metal Roofing, are no longer licensed to do roofs in Tennessee.
During an emergency meeting of the Tennessee Contractors Board done by telephone, board members voted to immediately suspend Kenton's license.
"People spend a lot of money to get their roof repaired and to have to go out and hire another company to get their roof completed etc. etc., we don’t want as a board that to be happening to other people in the community," Randy Chase, a member of the Board, said as they prepared to take that vote.
The Board mentioned two complaints filed by consumers including MaryLynne Norman of Bellevue who told us how Tennessee Metal Roofing messed up her roof.
"They never fixed it or they never really attempted to fix it. They did not even attempt," Norman explained.
The Board also considered what NewsChannel 5 Investigates first exposed, how Kenton was repeatedly not truthful when he filled out the application for his contractor's license in Tennessee, when he claimed he had never had a contractor's license suspended or revoked and that he had no complaints in any other states.
But we found Kenton did have a contractor's license in Massachussetts that was revoked by state regulators after repeated complaints from customers.
He was also banned from doing business in New Hampshire for similar problems.
Kenton also checked "no" when asked if he'd ever been convicted of a felony.
Yet we found he was sentenced to a year in jail in New Hampshire after he pled guilty to felony charges related to double billing an elderly roofing customer and threatening another.
The attorney for the Contractors Board laid that all out for boardmembers who back in April had granted Kenton a license.
"Had he disclosed that to the Board initially, I do not believe that the Board would have granted that license. And based on these complaints that are coming in, I think there is a concern for the public that we have an individual who may not be using their license properly," Jesse Gentry, staff attorney for the Board, said during the meeting.
Kenton himself did not take part in the conference call, but his attorney tried to argue that Kenton had answered as truthfully as he could on his application.
But board members clearly did not agree.
"It was obvious to the Board that he was affiliated with the company in Massachusetts and he filled out the application in a fraudulent manner by answering those questions the way that he did," boardmember Randy Chase said.
The suspension remains in effect at least through November. That's when the Board will hold a formal hearing and decide whether to continue the suspension or permanently revoke Kenton's license.
This same board fined Kenton a thousand dollars several months ago after they discovered that he'd been working without a license.
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Roofer accused of home improvement fraud has history of problems in other states
