SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wis. – South Milwaukee police say a contractor took payments for roof and siding projects, then ghosted his customers. More than a year later, he’s facing criminal charges.
Contractor charged
The backstory:
Following a hailstorm in May 2024, Lisa Allison hired Owen Masters of Property Restoration Professionals to repair her roof. Allison wrote a $5,000 check as down payment.
“I thought (the business) was legit,” said Allison. “I thought I was getting a good deal.”
Property Restoration Professionals never returned to start her project.
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Contact 6 met Allison in the summer of 2025, after she’d paid another company to finish her roofing job. The consumer segment attempted to speak with Masters at two addresses but couldn’t find him.
Investigation opened
What we know:
One day after meeting with Contact 6, Allison visited the South Milwaukee Police Department, and it opened an investigation. Police didn’t locate Masters either, but did find two more unhappy customers.
In late December, the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office charged Masters with three counts of felony Theft by Contractor, as Party to a Crime.
The criminal complaint says Masters’ salesmen solicited the work, but the money went into Masters’ account. Masters’ salesmen cooperated with the investigation.
A bench warrant was issued for Masters’ arrest.
What police discovered
Dig deeper:
The prosecutor says Masters also accepted “$20,000 as down payment” to replace one man’s siding and took about $3,800 for another roofing job. Police say Masters never started either job, despite his contracts to do so.
“It’s clear that this was intentional,” said Officer Daniel Doering, of the South Milwaukee Police Department. “There was never any attempt to do the job.”
Doering says Masters’ bank records revealed no purchases for the three jobs at any roofing supply warehouses.
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South Milwaukee police reports also reveal that the city has no records of building permits for the three jobs. They state that Property Restoration Professionals is not licensed in the state, and that Masters’ salesmen suspected he was a drug user.
The criminal complaint says when a salesman asked about one delayed project, Masters’ sent a text saying he “obviously spent the money last year when I was making very poor choices. I have 30 days clean right now.”
What’s next:
Allison’s salesman did pay her half of her money back, out of his own pocket.
“I’m hoping I do get (all) the money back, but I doubt it,” said Allison.
The Source: Information for this story comes from Lisa Allison, South Milwaukee police, Milwaukee County Circuit Court records, South Milwaukee police reports and prior Contact 6 reporting.
