Louisiana pastor, contractor arrested for home improvement fraud
By KTBS staff
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SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — A Shreveport church pastor who also owns a construction company is in custody following his arrest for home improvement fraud.
Timothy R. Thomas, 56, of Greenwood, was arrested Sunday and booked remotely into the Caddo Correctional Center. Thomas is currently in a local hospital for treatment of an undisclosed condition. Once he recovers, he’ll be taken to CCC, where his bond is set at $75,000.
Thomas is listed as the senior pastor of Living Word Christian Fellowship on Hollywood Avenue. He’s also the owner of Thomas Construction Company.
According to the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, Thomas’ arrest is in response to civil and criminal claims about a construction project that he did not finish. Additionally, the investigation revealed Thomas’s residential contractor’s license expired in 2020.
A Greenwood couple sued Thomas in January, alleging he took their money but did not finish construction of their home.
Arlenzia Cummings and Kwajalein Butler Cummings named Thomas and his company as defendants. They said they had a written construction contract for construction and purchase of a home in Greenwood with an agreed contract price of $475,000.
The contract called for Thomas to complete the home then transfer the title to the Cummings. It also required the Cummings to make two installment payments of $100,000 each then pay the remaining $275,000 upon completion, which was to be within 60 days.
The Cummings said in the petition they made payments totaling $350,000 by Feb. 10, 2025. But despite receiving the majority of the money, Thomas failed to complete the work.
As of January, the home remains incomplete and uninhabitable and Thomas failed to provide a reasonable explanation for the delay or to take corrective action, the Cummings said in their lawsuit.
A written demand was mailed to Thomas on Nov. 17, outlining the breaches of contract. Thomas did not respond, the petition states.
The Cummings want to recover their money, in addition to out-of-pocket expenses and attorney’s fees.
Thomas filed his own response to the lawsuit on Friday. He claims his contract was with Alenza Cummings Sr. and not the plaintiffs. He alleges there is no provision to enforce the contract.
“Plaintiffs inserted there (sic) timeline in an aggressive manner when we had no contact the Greenwood Police and charge the grandson with battery. The Sr. returned and shared that he was changing the last changed (sic) order to a store purchased cabinet. The next last (sic) change order for this house was completed on December 12, 2025,” Thomas wrote.
Thomas includes on his Facebook page that he attended Miles School of Law.
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