Local roof builder arrested: Former customers speak out

Reife Nels Peterson, also known as “RJ,” faces multiple charges, including grand theft and impersonating a contractor during a state of emergency.

The owner of JKS Construction, Peterson, is accused of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars for repairs after Hurricane Ian and pocketing the money instead.

• RELATED: Naples family scammed $30K in hurricane repair fraud

One victim claimed he lost $49,000 and was left without a roof. Now, more people are coming forward to share their experiences.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, JKS Construction allegedly went through neighborhoods offering roof repairs.

Ron Ortolan, one of the affected homeowners, said, “It’s just been 36 months of a nightmare, and we’re no closer today than we were 36 months ago.”

George Downing, another former customer, expressed his frustration. “This guy is ruthless. He just has no compassion whatsoever for people. He needs to go to prison for the rest of his life,” said Downing.

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Department arrested Peterson last week after he turned himself in. The arrest report details accusations of him forging clients’ checks, resulting in the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“It made my day, and it’s still to this day thinking about it, I’m happy,” Downing said. Ortolan added, “Yeah, about time he should have been arrested two years ago. What he did to a lot of people, not just myself.”

Both Downing and Ortolan paid for roof repairs for their Punta Gorda homes, but the repairs never materialized. Downing’s initial $3,500 deposit was stolen, but he eventually recovered the costs through legal action.

Ortolan is out by nearly $50,000, but after hiring a new roofer post-JKS Construction, he is down by $90 grand.

Ortolan explained why he reached out to WINK News a couple of months back.

“We’re gonna see more storms. We need to stop this now; I can’t see anybody going through what I did,” Ortolan said. “I thought about jumping off a bridge myself. You know, it’s just this: every morning, you wake up and wonder, well, is your roof going to be there tomorrow?”

Homeowners received excuse after excuse, assuring them a roof would be finished, but it never was.

“They just kept coming at you with excuse after excuse,” Downing said. “And so I was probably six months into it when I said I want out.”

Getting out of a contract isn’t easy, often requiring additional expenses for attorneys.

Ortolan recounted, “They took my roof off a week before hurricane season and had no intention. He didn’t. Well, we found out later that he never even ordered the roof. The roof never came.”

“If this guy gets to walk, he’s going to be in another state, and he’s going to be doing it. And the fact is, he came to Florida, and he preyed on all the elders,” Downing said.

Peterson faces charges of scheming to defraud, impersonating a contractor during a state of emergency, and grand theft of $100,000 or more.

Although he has bonded out, Downing and Ortolan remain concerned he might flee. Both emphasized the need for better protection for homeowners and stricter enforcement of contractor regulations.

Peterson’s next court date is in April.

JKS Construction is NOT a BBB-accredited business. Regarding the rating, the BBB said, “This business has no rating because BBB has information indicating it is out of business.”