CANFIELD A New Waterford contractor is being held in Mahoning County jail on a warrant from Beaver County, Pennsylvania, after being accused of taking $17,500 for a backyard pool construction project he allegedly abandoned.

Andrew James Smith, 38, of Beard Road, was arrested Wednesday by the Canfield Police Department on a warrant charging him with felony counts of home improvement fraud and theft by deception.

According to a police criminal complaint, a resident of Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, reported that he hired Smith to build a pool in his backyard. The man said he paid Smith $17,500 upfront in July 2024.

The complaint alleges that Smith partially performed the work, but it was "defective, incomplete, and not in compliance" with the agreed-upon standards.

After promising to finish the project this past spring, Smith allegedly ceased all communication and abandoned the job. The last contact between Smith and the homeowner was last October.

According to the Ohio Secretary of State, Smith operates AJ’s Concrete and Pools LLC.