Board revokes Las Vegas plumbing contractor’s license after elderly woman’s home ‘left in shambles’
By Matt Kling
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LAS VEGAS, Nevada (KVVU) — The Nevada State Contractors Board has revoked a license to of a Las Vegas plumbing contractor.
According to the board, an 88-year-old woman was forced to live in a converted garage because her home was “left in shambles for months.”
In a news release, the board said the contractor, Drews Plumbing, LLC, was hired after providing an estimate of $18,000 to fix a leak in the victim’s home.
The company demolished much of the home’s flooring and created trenches through most of the house to remove drainpipes.
“The actions of Jeffrey Drew and Drews Plumbing in taking thousands of dollars and then leaving an elderlywoman’s home in shambles is both disturbing and egregious,” NSCB Executive Officer Margi Grein said in the release.”The victim is very frail and it is clear the inexcusable actions of Drews Plumbing, forcing her to sleep on hercouch and live in a home without proper plumbing, have taken a toll on her and her family.”
According to the release, this forced the 88-year-old woman, her sons and their dog to live in a converted den in the garage for months.
“Additionally, the victim and her son had to endure more than eight months (including during the heat of the summer) in a converted garage as her other ailing son, recovering from cancer, was forced to move elsewhere,” NSCB said in the release.a
NSCB added that a bathroom in the den served as the only functioning water source inside the home.
“The Board will continue to take swift and punitive action against both unlicensed and licensed contractorsalike who victimize our elderly population,” Grein continued in the release. “We hope the outcome of this case sends a clearmessage to the industry that we take our mission to protect the health and safety of the public seriously andwill not tolerate fraudulent activities that endanger Nevadans.”
While the family was living in the garage, the plumbing company collected more than $28,000, according to the board.
As a result, the release says that in addition of having their license revoked, the contractor was assessed $34,000 in fines and ordered to pay investigative fees and costs.
FOX5 has reached out to Drew’s Plumbing for comment on the matter.
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