STARKE, Fla. – A judge has sentenced a former pastor who was fired following an I-TEAM investigation that found he took thousands of dollars for contracting work even though he did not have a license. But now, another man claims Kyle Harrison did the same thing to him.
Harrison, formerly the senior pastor at Harvest Church in Starke, receive a year of probation after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors that included a court order for him to start paying back his victim, Helen Bohannon.
We first introduced you to Bohannon last year. She contacted the I-TEAM when Harrison took more than $26,000 to replace the roof of her Lawtey home. She said she trusted Harrison because he was the senior pastor at church, and she sought his advice.
Bohannon told us, "I called him to ask him, 'Do you know a licensed contractor?' And he said, 'Yes, myself.'"
She paid Harrison, but problems started immediately. Her new roof began leaking and the job was never completed. That's when she discovered -- and the I-TEAM confirmed through state records -- the pastor did not have a contractor's license.
Harrison, who was charged with a misdemeanor, insisted to us that he was sorry. He vowed to make things right. But, as we later found out, that didn't happen.
While this case was working through the court system in Bradford County, it appears Harrison moved to the Orlando area.
"He was actually a friendly guy and said, 'I'm going to make your house beautiful,'" Gilbert Salgado told our sister station WKMG-TV.
Salgado, who is in Leesburg, said Harrison promised to repair his roof, too.
"He (Harrison) told me he was a licensed contractor," Salgado explained.
That's still not true -- Harrison is not a licensed contractor. WKMG's investigators tried unsuccessfully to get some answers out of Harrison as he left court after being sentenced for what he did to Helen Bohannon.
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"You're barking up the wrong tree. I had a horrible situation here. It's been resolved now," Harrison said.
Meanwhile, Harrison did partially pay back Bohannon and has been ordered to continue paying her until all of her money is returned. The former pastor also insists he never told Salgado he was a licensed contractor, but he did return some of the money Salgado paid him to fix his roof.