A bench warrant with a $25,000 bond was issued for Justin Wesley Walker on July 29 for embezzlement.
According to court documents, DistrictAttorneyAdam Panter filed one felony count of embezzlement against Walker, 46, for allegedly fraudulently appropriating $111,153.39 from Bret and Lynne Carlson.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Investigator Carl Monk with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office was contacted on July 2 by attorney Aaron Stiles on behalf of the Carlsons, claiming that Walker had stolen the money through fraudulent means.
On July 8, Monk met with the Carlsons to go over the situation. The couple had purchased 40 acres in Meeker and planned to build a home out there. The two met Walker when he did the concrete work for the home and said that he’s the son of a good friend, the affidavit said.
The Carlsons had a verbal agreement with Walker to hire him as the general contractor for the home construction as he wished to start a contracting business. In this agreement, the Carlsons agreed to cover the cost of all construction, labor and materials, and that Walker would receive a 10 percent contractor fee, according to the probable cause affidavit.
The couple secured a $600,000 loan to begin construction, and from Oct. 2, 2024, to April 1, 2025, they paid in checks a total of $357,102.71 to Walker through his company Sonoma Construction and Development. The affidavit said that aroundApril 2025, construction slowed and eventually stopped. The report said that Walker made excuses about the slowdown and then eventually left the state.
A construction supply company then filed a material lien on the property for unpaid materials purchased by Walker for $17,164.11. The report stated that the Carlsons began contacting other contractors and discovered that Walker allegedly falsified invoices and over-billed the Carlsons. The report stated that the fraudulent management fees and construction costs totaled $357,102.71 and that Walker spent $222,681.20 on labor and materials.
Monk stated in the report that it appeared that Walker had pocketed $134,421.51 by falsifying invoices. He continued that the Carlsons spent nearly $92,000 out of pocket for a total of $450,000 trying to catch up on what had not been paid. The report said the bank has frozen all other money left on the loan until the matter is settled.
The home is only about 50 percent complete, according to the affidavit.