Georgia officials hunting "storm-chaser" contractors

One of the results of the EF-2 tornado that plowed through Macon on May 11th: a resident salvages belongings in a demolished building in the city's business district. (Josephine Bennet)

The State of Georgia is cracking down on “fly-by-night” contractors who don't take proper care of their workers.

The State Board of Workers' Compensation arrested several subcontractors in Macon and the Bibb County area this week.

The collars are part of a sweep to enforce state laws requiring employers to insure their crews.

Stan Bexley heads the board's enforcement division:

“As a result of the sweep thus far, we've had five criminal warrants issued, three arrests have been made and seven premium fraud cases have been opened for further investigation.”

Bexley warns homeowners to watch out for so-called “storm-chasers,” who arrive after bad weather, do shoddy repairs with substandard parts, and then take off without guaranteeing their work.

SBWC officials are focusing on areas that were hard-hit by a string of tornadoes on May 11th that caused several million dollars in damage.

More information is available at the SBWC website.http://tiny.cc/aB1bT.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the damages caused by the tornadoes.

Columbus insurance agent accused of skimming 200k

Police are charging a Columbus insurance agent with three counts of insurance fraud to the tune of over $200,000.

Pollyanna Johnson, 38, of Action Auto Insurance Agency in Columbus allegedly pocketed premiums paid to her for property and taxicab liability.

Johnson reportedly victimized three organizations: the Columbus Firefighters Association; Top Dawg Taxi and Transportation of Athens; and A-Cab Company of Phoenix City, Alabama, according to an article in the Insurance Journal.

"Our investigation into these crimes is continuing and we expect more victims to be discovered in the coming weeks," Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine said. He added that the widening investigation, conducted over the last six months, will likely uncover more defrauded victims.