A Santa Clara man was arrested by Morgan Hill police when a city
code enforcement officer recognized him as the suspect in an
investigation of questionable business practices.
A Santa Clara man was arrested by Morgan Hill police when a city code enforcement officer recognized him as the suspect in an investigation of questionable business practices.
Emmanuel Palma, 42, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of grand theft, working as a contractor without a contractor’s license and probation violation.
A resident told police Palma did not complete contracted work. Palma had worked on several homes, doing electrical, landscaping, gas pipe and concrete work, and the total loss to victims was about $27,000.
His business card listed his business as “Manuel Landscaping,” and the false license number was also on the card, police said. Palma had used the wrong material for one of the gas lines, and the material could eventually deteriorate and cause an explosion, police said. Residents can visit the licensing board’s Web site at www.cslb.ca.gov or call the city’s building department at 779-7241.
John Amos, a Morgan Hill city code enforcement officer, was assigned by Deluna to investigate.
According to Morgan Hill police Special Operations Sgt. Jerry Neumayer, the situation first came to light April 10, when Deputy Building Official Ken Deluna received a call from a Morgan Hill resident informing him that a person working at the home possibly had a fake contractor’s license.
Wednesday morning, Amos went to one of the homes and found Palma there. As Palma left the home, Amos followed him and called police. Officer Ken Howard stopped Palma and found he was operating under a fictitious contractor’s license.
The California Contractor License Board has a task force that tracks down violators using false contractor license numbers, Neumayer said, and residents considering using contractors should take the time to find out if the contractor is legitimate.
