By Jalen Maki

Tomahawk Leader Editor

MERRILL – A Wautoma contractor pleaded guilty to a felony theft charge and a misdemeanor charge of home improvement contract violations in Lincoln County court on Tuesday, June 16.

Ray Marchel, 49, was charged in Lincoln County on Aug. 28, 2019 with felony theft by a contractor (>$10,000-$100,000), along with 12 misdemeanor charges for home improvement contract violations and misleading buyers when signing documents.

Ray Marchel

Marchel was sentenced to five years of probation for the first count and one year of probation for the second.

Marchel was sentenced to three years of probation after pleading no contest to a felony count of theft from a business setting (>$5,000-$10,000) in Marathon County court on Jan. 2.

On May 8, Marchel pleaded no contest in Portage County court to one felony count of theft by contractor (>$2500-$5000) and one felony count of theft by contractor (>$10,000-$100,000). He was sentenced three years of probation for the first charge and five years of probation for the second. He was ordered to pay restitution in both cases, according to court records. Numerous other charges in both cases were dismissed but read in.

Homeowners in Lincoln, Marathon and Portage counties claimed Marchel stopped showing up to the job site and stopped their returning phone calls after they gave him thousands of dollars to begin construction work on their homes.

Marchel was charged with theft by contractor (>$10,000-$100,000) in Marquette County on Dec. 30, 2019. He is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 2.