Shady business practices and a prior arrest warrant paved the way for the arrest of a man in Sicamous. 

On March 19 the Sicamous building inspector told the RCMP that multiple local businesses had reported negative experiences with a driveway repair crew.

Several men were approaching businesses and residential properties under the name of Hill Top Division Ltd. of Calgary, and soliciting people to hire them for driveway repairs.

"The pavers would get the potential clients to sign a contract for paving at a rate per square foot," Sgt. Murray McNeil said in a media release. "The contract would not specify the area to be paved, which resulted in entire driveways and parking areas being paved, which was not agreed upon by the clients."

"The clients were then presented a bill which was far greater than expected."

On the morning of March 20, the RCMP located two vehicles associated with Hill Top and confirmed the company didn't have a business licence to operate in Sicamous

"A man who claimed to be the owner of the business was found to have an active arrest warrant from the Surrey RCMP and an active arrest warrant for immigration violations with Canada Border Services Agency," McNeil said, adding that the two vehicles were impounded. "The 39-year-old man was arrested and transported to RCMP cells in Salmon Arm where he was subject to a bail hearing."

Bail was denied and the man ordered to remain in custody.

The RCMP are advising the public to read any contract carefully before signing and to get references from a business they're not familiar with prior to hiring them.