State looking at Fayetteville woman accused of posing as licensed contractor

The state is taking action against a Fayetteville contractor who was the subject of a CBS 17 investigative report.

In May, CBS 17 reported on Dineen Etienne after a disabled vet said he invested thousands of dollars to be a silent partner in a company, but never saw a return on his investment.

Dineen Etienne runs a company called Dee’s Handywoman Service, but has acted as a general contractor in at least one case investigated by the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors.

The board said Etienne is not licensed as a contractor here in North Carolina, yet she told a Fayetteville couple she was, and entered into a $45,000 contract to renovate their home.

The couple said she never completed the work.

Back in October of 2016, Bryant and Amy Edwards said they hired Etienne to renovate their home and said it turned into a nightmare.

Bryant characterized the work she did as “substandard, novice at best, and irresponsible.”

“She was good at demolition,” Amy said. “She would come in and destroy it, without putting a room back together.”

Records obtained by CBS 17 show the couple signed a $45,594.74 contract with Etienne, but under state law, if a project exceeds $30,000 dollars, a general contractor’s license is required.

“She informed me she was a general contractor,” Bryant said.

But, the state board which oversees contractors said Etienne is not a licensed in North Carolina.

After weeks of work in their home, the couple said they found things were not being renovated to their satisfaction and documented it on video.

They fired Etienne just six months after hiring her.

When he was ready to fire her, Bryant said, “I wanted a third party around, so I called the police department just to have somebody here because I thought she’d act irrational. She did.”

He added, “She got upset and removed building materials that we paid for, off our property into her vehicle.”

Within hours of Etienne’s firing, Amy said, “She went to the police department and filed charges claiming I assaulted her.”

A mediator later dismissed the charges, finding they were false.

The couple said Etienne also placed a lien on their property, claiming she was never paid. But, cashier checks presented in the case and obtained by CBS 17 show they paid her $38,636.58.

CBS 17 was unable to get a comment from Etienne at her home.

She did, however, call Steve Sbraccia and tell him “never to come back to her door.” She also refused to answer questions about the claims made by the Edwards’ or about whether she represented herself as a general contractor.

The NC Licensing Board for contractors told CBS 17 it is now engaged in legal action against her and wants Etienne to enter into a consent order to cease and desist acting as a contractor.

The Edwards’ admit they didn’t do their research before they hired Etienne. That’s the lesson they want to impart.

The board lets people check a contractor’s status by either using their name or by their license number. Complaints can also be filed with the contractor’s licensing board.

WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON:

CBS17.com Video