Arkansas contractor Stephen Rast is behind bars, accused of scamming customers out of thousands for contracting work he was paid to do but never performed.
According to the Little Rock Police Department, Rast was arrested Monday during a traffic stop in west Little Rock. He was booked into the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility after officers discovered he had outstanding warrants in Sherwood, Bryant, and Pulaski County.
Officers initially stopped Rast for driving with fictitious plates, only to find that he was operating with a suspended license. Further investigation revealed multiple warrants for his arrest.
Complaints against Rast began surfacing in 2022 when several customers claimed they paid him a 50% deposit for home improvement work, which he never completed. The Arkansas Attorney General’s office, led by Tim Griffin, took up the case, culminating in a default judgment against Rast in October 2022. The attorney general’s office has accused Rast of stealing between $5,000 and $25,000 from his clients.
The state has filed a motion asking Rast to list his personal property, but according to Griffin’s office, he has yet to comply.
Attorney General Tim Griffin responded to Rast’s recent arrest, saying, “My office’s lawsuit against Mr. Rast continues, and I am committed to holding him accountable and ensuring restoration for the people he defrauded.”
In addition to theft of property charges, Rast also faces charges for unpaid child support and failure to appear in court for a prior suspended license offense. He is due to appear in Pulaski County Circuit Court on July 29.