By Shereen Siewert
An Athens contractor who already owes thousands of dollars to a Lincoln County homeowner is facing multiple criminal charges after a Wausau woman reported him to the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Alpine Construction, LLC, which is operated by Aaron Raduechel, is the named defendant in a Marathon County criminal case filed Aug. 21. The company is facing charges of theft in a business setting, theft by a contractor, misrepresentation of a home improvement contract and additional related crimes.
According to court documents an investigation began on Oct. 12, 2018, when the state launched an inquiry into Alpine’s business practices for alleged violations of Wisconsin’s home improvement contract rules. The investigation was prompted by a complaint by a Wausau woman who told investigators she paid a $3,778 deposit to Raduechel in June 2018 and hired him to build a deck on her family’s home. The woman found Alpine on a home improvement locator website called Thumbtack, according to court records.
The alleged victim told state investigators that she canceled the contract and was promised a refund after Raduechel repeatedly delayed the project. To date, the woman has not been repaid, the complaint states.
Court documents note that Raduechel currently has a pending money judgment case in Lincoln County, filed May 23, 2018, for $9,000 owed to a Tomahawk homeowner who also filed a complaint with the state.
A date for an initial appearance has not yet been set.
