Police Intervene Over Contractor's Inflated Bills

Florida police are coming to the defense of an elderly woman who was allegedly over-billed by her home contractor. Tampa TV station WTSP reports that authorities have arrested Harry B. Patterson for charging an 82-year-old woman 490-thousand-dollars for home repairs. Between 2007 and 2009, the unnamed victim allowed Patterson to perform work on her Palm City, Florida home. Investigators have now determined that the 51-year-old handyman took advantage of his client. According to police, Patterson once billed the woman 107-thousand-dollars to repair a seawall. That's a job that reportedly involved about 10-dollars worth of materials and one hour of labor. Patterson is now facing charges of grand theft from a victim over 65 years of age, a felony offense that can carry with it up to 30 years in prison.