Ill. contractor wanted in 3 counties caught in West Virginia
An ABC7 I-Team Investigation
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WLS) -- A convicted contractor on the run has been caught.
Authorities say Joseph Hisel ran after he was sentenced to 60 days behind bars in DuPage County. The contractor, who faces several criminal charges, was exposed by the I-Team two years ago after homeowners said they were left with unfinished work.
Hisel was caught in West Virginia. Charleston police say he was arrested on Chicago area felony warrants after being reported as a suspicious person for reasons unknown, sleeping in an ER hospital bed.
He's now sitting behind bars at the West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility.
The I-Team found that the home contractor had been on the run since April after pleading guilty to a theft by deception charge in DuPage County. He was sentenced to 60 days behind bars and ordered to pay $3,100 in restitution to a customer. But DuPage County officials say he never turned himself in.
Now, the DuPage County state's attorney is seeking extradition from West Virginia.
There are also warrants out for Hisel in Will and Grundy counties. Customers there also allege fraud, saying they paid and the work never got done.
Knowles: "Did you leave people with unfinished basements?"
Hisel: "You can get off my property."
That was in September of 2014. We stayed off his property but continued to ask questions about claims that he left two Joliet families with unfinished basements and thousands of dollars in debt. They hired him through his business, JH Carpentry.
DuPage County prosecutors are in the process of trying to get Hisel back here to serve his jail sentence and to face those charges in the other counties.
We called two of Hisel's public defenders Monday; they did not comment on the cases.
