Morgan grand jury indicts Huntsville man for home repair fraud

Jan. 22—Indicted by a Morgan County grand jury on three counts of home repair fraud and two related counts of forgery, a Huntsville man remains in the Morgan County Jail more than six months after his arrest.

Decatur police charged Johnny Ray Jordan, 61, with the five felonies after Decatur and Lacey's Spring residents reported they hired and paid Jordan, who claimed to be a licensed contractor, to perform work at their residences. They told police he failed to do the work.

His bail is set at $115,000, according to Morgan County Jail records.

According to affidavits by Decatur police Detective Eric Keller, Jordan represented himself as a licensed contractor in the state operating under the business name Huntsville Construction and Remodeling — J&J Construction. He listed a license number 2114716.

"Due to the fact that Jordan does not own the company or have a valid Alabama contractor license these documents have fictitious information that have been falsely made with an invalid license number in order to deceive the resident into believing that Jordan is a certified license contractor," Keller wrote.

One of the indictments, dated Dec. 8, said Jordan "caused misrepresentation of a material fact relating to the terms of the contract or agreement that (Jordan) promised performance which he did not intend or knew would not be performed."

District Attorney Scott Anderson said it's important that his office attempt to thwart this type of illegal activity.

"A person's home is almost always their most valuable asset," he said last week. "I think it is important for prosecutors and law enforcement to pursue criminal charges and the appropriate punishment for anyone who poses a threat to that investment."

No trial date has been set.

Alabama court records show Jordan has been charged with theft, forgery or fraud in Morgan, Limestone, Madison and Cullman counties more than 40 times since 1994. Jordan's handwritten motion to reduce his bond in the pending Morgan County cases was denied, according to the judge, in part because he was on probation for a Limestone County charge.

Jordan has filed numerous handwritten pleadings, including one seeking a change of venue due to extensive pretrial publicity and another seeking to terminate his court-appointed lawyer. His lawyer, Dwight Jett Jr., on Nov. 22 filed a motion asking the court for clarification on whether he still represented Jordan. The court has not ruled on the motion.

In the motion, Jett noted that the District Attorney's Office had offered a plea bargain in which Jordan would be sentenced to 15 years, with three years in prison followed by probation "and a significant amount of restitution." Jett wrote that Jordan rejected the settlement and demanded a jury trial.

Second-degree forgery and a second conviction of home repair fraud are both Class C felonies, punishable up to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $15,000.

Among the indictments issued last month, 35 involved possession of controlled substances.

Other indictments issued last month:

—Shanta Lavette Abernathy, 46, Muscle Shoals; second-degree domestic violence.

—Elbert Anderson, 33, Decatur; two counts of trafficking in controlled substance, certain persons forbidden from owning a firearm.

—Warren Andrew Bennett Jr., 30, Athens; second-degree manufacture of a controlled substance.

—Christina Necole Bolding, 36, Muscle Shoals; third-degree theft.

—Tameeka Yolanda Buford, 47, Decatur; five counts of first-degree identity theft, first-degree theft, five counts of third-degree forgery.

—Kecia Denise Burden, 41, Florence; trafficking in controlled substance.

—Katlin Amber Burgess, 25, Decatur; first-degree theft.

—Katlyn Nicole Burks, 25, Madison; first-degree receiving stolen property.

—William Wayne Cox, 57, Decatur; third-degree burglary.

—Brandon Jacob Delgado, 25, Decatur; second-degree assault.

—Curtis Wayne Dillon, 50, Decatur; three counts of dissemination of obscene material, three counts of possession of obscene material.

—Greg Allen Dotson, 44, Decatur; first-degree attempted theft.

—Kelsie Faye Fletcher, 23, Decatur; breaking and entering a vehicle.

—Eric Dwain Fowler, 51, Eva; throwing an object into an occupied vehicle.

—Garrick Anthony Gardner, 41, Moulton; second-degree receiving stolen property.

—Sayna Ann Gilbert, 34, Decatur; third-degree forgery.

—Marquez Laroy Goodwin, 34, Decatur; third-degree receiving stolen property.

—April Leighan Hamilton, 42, Decatur; intent to distribute controlled substance.

—Otis Junior Hollis, 55, Decatur; second-degree assault.

—Tony Randall Hopkins, 48, Decatur; first-degree theft.

—Tyron Kentrell Hubbard, 31, Moulton; third-degree theft.

—Chasity Nicole Johnson, 32, Hartselle; second-degree promoting prison contraband.

—D'Markus Shaqur Jones, 25, Hazel Green; trafficking in controlled substance.

—Cano Elias Diego Juan, 25, Decatur; two counts of second-degree assault.

—Dustin Blake King, 37, Hartselle; second-degree theft.

—Malik Tysheem Lewis, 25, Decatur; two counts of trafficking in controlled substance.

—Joshua Martin Link, 36, Eva; first-degree assault.

—Dana Adams Lynn, 53, Hartselle; third-degree theft.

—Rachel Reed Mares, 40, Huntsville; second-degree theft.

—Susan Annette Mayes, 65, Decatur; third-degree theft.

—Kaysi Wynn McCulloch, 27, Decatur; second-degree promoting prison contraband.

—Isaias Miguel-Mateo, 25, Decatur; third-degree theft, attempt to commit controlled substance crime.

—Steven Deshawn Pruitt, 23, Hartselle; second-degree assault.

—Elden Cordera Shelton, 33, Decatur; third-degree burglary.

—Justin Bud Shepard, 33, Decatur; first-degree theft.

—Marketa Lavonia Sipp, 37, Abbeville; second-degree domestic violence.

—Adam Blake Stanley, 38, Decatur; first-degree sexual abuse.

—Michael Andrew Pierre Strong, 39, Decatur; shooting into an unoccupied building or vehicle.

—Keithan Terrell Swoopes, 40, Decatur; certain person forbidden from owning firearm.

—Tra'Naisha Qui'Shad Ricole Taylor, 23, Decatur; shooting into an occupied building or vehicle.

—Donquez Ashareem Thomas, 26, Danville; three counts of breaking and entering a vehicle.

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