A local contractor was arrested Wednesday for taking money from a client and not paying his subcontractors, said Sheriff Steve Prator.

Harlan Cooper, 50, of Benton, was hired to remodel a house in September 2013.  The victims say they paid Cooper $79,165, but subcontractors say he didn’t use the money to pay them. They dispute Cooper’s claim that they’ve already been paid for work and materials provided, said Caddo Sheriff’s Detective Frank Edmondson.

Edmondson arrested Cooper and booked him into the Caddo Correctional Center for contractor misapplication.