KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Olathe resident Ryan Hanisch looked over the mess of his yard and just shook his head.

He hired Franklin “Dusty” Hood, owner of HR Excavating and Hauling, to build a retaining wall in his backyard over a year ago.

“We wanted to have a backyard for our children to play in and have that opportunity for them,” he said.

He’s been trying to get the job completed ever since. Now he’s out more than $7,000, and Hood will no longer return or answer his calls.

He said he’s uncertain whether his family will ever be able to finish the project — especially without a refund.

“Right now, I’m stuck,” Hanisch said. “We’re a young family with four kids.”

Hanisch is not the first person to have problems with Hood. Missouri court records show Hood has a history of not paying his bills. 

FOX4 Problem Solvers found nine lawsuits where Hood was sued and lost. In fact, he didn’t even bother showing up to court for most of them.

He has more than $30,000 in judgments against him, some dating back 10 years, and hasn’t paid a dime.

“It became obvious over the course of several months that he wasn’t going to pay this,” Shane Griffin, another Missouri resident who sued Hood, said. 

Griffin said in February 2020, one of Hood’s employees rear-ended his daughter’s car while driving a snow plow in Lees Summit. Hood showed up and promised to pay for the damage.

“We called his insurance company and they said, ‘No, his insurance has been canceled for several months. He has no insurance,’” Griffin said.

This prompted Griffin to take Hood to court, where he got a $3,6000 judgment against him.

That was 10 months ago and Hood, per usual, hasn’t paid a dime.

FOX4 Problem Solvers tried to track down Hood, who was supposed to be at the courthouse in Kingston, Missouri for a speeding ticket.

But he didn’t show up for that either.

FOX4 paid a visit to his home in nearby Hamilton. The yard was crawling with vehicles and heavy equipment.

At first, he closed the door in our faces — but we didn’t give up.

Eventually, Hood did come to the door but refused to answer any questions.

“No comment,” he said. “Please leave the property.”

That’s the last we’ve heard from him. It’s no surprise of the two men who want to warn the public about doing business with Hood.

“We’ve been left with this and I don’t want to see others in this same situation,” Hanisch said.

The Kansas Attorney General is trying to help Hanisch get his money back and is working to develop a payment plan with Hood.

We’re hoping this time Hood actually keeps his word and makes the payments.