Christopher A. Yoanis, Ace L. Frank and Timothy B. Cuito were charged with theft by deception.
HAMILTON -- Officers checking out a suspicious person arrested three men on theft charges in connection with dubious repairs on a resident's driveway, police said.
Officers Richard Liedtka and Frank Palmieri were dispatched to the area of Grayson Avenue and Eaton Avenue at 2 p.m. April 16 to investigate a man soliciting for driveway repairs.
The man had also claimed to be an employee of a local paving company, police said.
When confronted by a resident, who challenged the man's identity, the suspicious man left the ares driving a black pick-up truck, police said.
While checking the area, officers located the suspicious black pick-up truck, a Chevrolet Silverado with a Ohio license plate, parked in a driveway on Saybrook Avenue, police said.
Three males were applying what appeared to be seal coating on the driveway, and one matched the description of the man in the Grayson Avenue area.
The men told the officers they were asking residents if they wanted their driveways sealed for a fee of $35.
But police investigated and found that after doing the work, the men allegedly told the resident they used more materials and needed to be paid an additional $2,500, police said.
The officers found the three men had warrants for their arrest and detained them.
Christopher A. Yoanis, 23, and Ace L. Frank, 23, both of Philadelphia had warrants for their arrest from Pennsylvania and Timothy B. Cuito, 27, of Newark had a warrant from Newark.
All three were charged with theft by deception for the driveway work and initiall held on $40,000 bail each.
Hamilton Capt. James Stevens said detectives are investigating a similar incident on Paxson Avenue possibly involving the suspects.
Stevens cautioned homeowners to be extra wary of door-to-door solicitors, especially now that the weather is getting warmer.
Anyone who may have been a victim or who may have additional information about the incident is asked to contact Detective Leonard Gadsby at 609-581-4032 or the Hamilton police tipline at 609-581-4008.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.