Man Overcharged Bucks Co. Woman By $5K For Paving Job: Police

HILLTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — An elderly Bucks County woman was pressured by a Northampton County paving company into paying more than $5,000 to fill cracks in her driveway, according to the Hilltown Township Police Department.

Richard Norman Squires, 35, faces felony charges of deceptive business practices, home improvement fraud, criminal mischief and conspiracy. He was arraigned on the charges Thursday morning before Judge Regina Armitage, who set bail at $100,000.

The arrest came nearly eight months after the woman first told police about a paving contractor who she said overcharged her for services.

The woman told police she was tending to her garden when a group of paving workers told her they had some leftover blacktop and could repair the cracks in her driveway for about $300. They came back and presented her with a bill of $5,500 and pressured her into signing off on the job, becoming "aggressive and stern about getting paid," according to police.

Squires was taken to Bucks County Jail after the arraignment. A hearing in the case is scheduled for May 11.

Police said anyone who believes they were victimized by Squires or his business can contact Officer James T. Browne at jbrowne@hilltownpd.org.

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