From privacy to problem, after a fence contractor tears down then disappears

NORMAN, Okla. (KFOR) — A Norman resident is left without a fence after hiring a man to replace it, and now he will not finish the job.

"It's just it's been a struggle because my father has gone through so much and now, now he's got to go through this," Woods said.

Jeff Woods says he turned to Facebook to help his veteran father in need. That's where he found Timothy Wheeler.

"He contacted us after four or five other people contacted us and said that he could do it for his total was 3500, and that was a big difference from what everybody else wanted," Woods says.

Woods and his neighbor, who shared a fence needing repair, paid $3,500 in total. Wheeler received payment, and that's where the work started and ended.

"He tore it down, he put the wrong kind of post, he put wood instead of metal posts, and then after he got those up, he didn't show up," Woods said.

This is what Woods is left with.

"We took him on his word, and we gave him the money. He took the checks, cashed it, then didn't show up," Woods said.

Woods says Wheeler gave a number of reasons, from a stolen wallet and a truck needing repairs, as to why he could not get the project finished.

In a phone call with Wheeler, he told us, "To be honest with you, ma'am, I'm trying to get back on my feet right now. It wasn't supposed to happen the way it did, and it was a huge mistake on my part, and I'm trying to get it figured out as we speak."

We asked him when Woods could expect to see him finally finish the project, and he said by the end of this month, before hanging up on us.

Woods tells News 4 that shortly after the phone call with Wheeler, he texted him saying that he would get this completed by the end of the month and refund the neighbor's portion of the payment.

"It's just caused a lot of problems, cost us a lot more money, and we just we just want the right thing done," Woods said.