Dad paid $9,300 for a storm shelter, but the contractor vanished after digging up his yard. So he set a trap — and kept deputies waiting
After spending several more weeks trying to get Marek to return and finish the job, Teachman called him with a new proposition
With a nine-month-old at home, Dylan Teachman simply wanted the peace of mind that comes with a sturdy storm shelter. So, when Colton Marek of CM Concrete Construction pulled up through his driveway and quoted the job back in April, he didn't think twice before handing him $9,300 in cash to get the job started as soon as possible. But that relief was short-lived. After Marek dug up part of the yard, he disappeared — leaving Teachman with a torn-up patch of ground, an unfinished project and $9,300 less in his bank account. Rather than let the matter go, Teachman came up with a plan that involved the local authorities. What happened next was reported by KOCO 5 News (@KOCO) on August 13, 2026, gaining over 178,900 views.
A deal for family safety
The ordeal began back in April after Teachman gave Marek's construction company a call, hoping to shield his newborn son from the severe Oklahoma weather. He wanted them to construct a solid above-ground storm shelter with a custom door built in. "We have a baby now that's 9 months old, and we want to keep him safe and not have to run from storms anymore," he said. And so, after getting an estimate, Teachman handed Marek $9,300 to start the work immediately.
Broken promises
He then came out and dug up the yard, but that's when everything went south. After clearing up the yard and making a mess, Marek never came back. Naturally, Teachman tried contacting him but couldn't get him to budge. "Tried contacting him. Came up with an excuse about why he wasn't coming," he said. At this point, most people give up and accept their fate. They believe that there's nothing they can do about it. But Teachman refused to give up and came up with another idea.
Setting up the trap
After spending several more weeks trying to get Marek to return and finish the job, Teachman called him with a new proposition: he wanted to add concrete to his patio. Marek agreed to come over. What he didn't know was that this was a trap set up by Teachman, who had teamed up with the Grady County Sheriff's Department to arrest him. So, when he came to Teachman's house in the evening, not only did the cameras await him, but also several police officers. Marek already had an outstanding warrant related to a previous embezzlement case, giving deputies another reason to take him into custody when he arrived.
Marek's criminal past
Teachman was able to set this trap due to Marek's history of such offenses. As it turns out, he wasn't the first person who was scammed by this contractor. Previously, he did something similar to a Blanchard woman. The woman hired him to build a shop and agreed to pay $8,500 upfront toward a $10,000 project. But after delivering one load of sand, he allegedly stopped showing up. Another Grady County resident reportedly paid him $3,500 for materials that were never delivered.
Home improvement risks
Unfortunately, Marek isn't the only contractor indulging in such practices. According to the Better Business Bureau's Scam Tracker Risk Report, home improvement scams are the fifth-riskiest scam category in the U.S. in 2024, compared with fourth in 2023. This puts them only behind cryptocurrency, employment, romantic, and online purchase scams. The report gave home improvement scams a susceptibility rate of 70.1%, while the median reported dollar loss was $1,800. That's a good reason for homeowners to do their homework before handing over money for a construction project.
'Never pay a contractor all of it up front'
Meanwhile, the people were happy that Teachman got justice, as they expressed their views in the comments. @tobarstep noted, "Apparently you can be so greedy that it makes you stupid. Like, how did that guy think that the people he stiffed for $9300 were going to suddenly change their mind and call him back for more work?" At the same time, @lindawade4ok639 suggested, "Never pay a contractor all of it up front, and do not pay them in cash, unless you know them very, very well... Lots of bad actors out there."
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