Homebuilder Arrested on Hot Check, Faces Year in Jail

Jonathan Grant Wise, a homebuilder and president and CEO of Wise Custom Realty in Bentonville, has a court date Nov. 6 in Springdale District Court following his arrest Wednesday on a misdemeanor charge of writing a hot check.

Wise, 23, of Rogers, also had his license with the Arkansas Contractor’s Licensing Board revoked in July for misconduct and for writing a hot check in the amount of $100 for a state filing fee.

A warrant for his arrest on a hot check was issued by Washington County on Sept. 23, but he did not appear at a subsequent hearing date in Fayetteville District Court.

A misdemeanor hot check means it was for less than $1,000. If guilty, Wise could spend up to a year in county jail. County officials would not divulge how much the check was worth or to who it was written.

David Thornton, Wise’s partner and principal broker at Wise Custom Realty, said the hot check was tied to one of Wise’s other ventures, not the real estate company.

“Grant was arrested for hot checks on a construction company he owns,” Thornton said in a statement issued Friday.

According to the Arkansas Secretary of State, Wise is listed as an incorporator of Wise-Choice Lawns, Landscape and Irrigation, and before his license was revoked, Wise was authorized to perform such work as carpentry, framing, milling, concrete, roofing and deck work.

In the statement he issued Friday, Thornton distanced himself from Wise.

“Grant is also one of four partners in our real estate company, which is completely separate and apart from any other business he may own,” Thornton said. “I was not aware of his arrest on the issue with his construction company as I seldom see him. He has not been and will not be part of the day-to-day operation of the realty company.”

A booking agent at Washington County said Wise was arrested Wednesday at the headquarters of Troop L of the Arkansas State Police in Springdale and was then transported to jail. He then posted a $500 bond and was released, according to Washington County detainee information.

On the news and views website Topix, there is a review of a Bentonville company named Wise Custom Inc. The lengthy stream of negative comments center around a man named Grant Wise who took payment for work but then never did the work.

In May, Wise said he was ready to take the Northwest Arkansas real estate market by storm using an army of real estate agents working on an innovative, 100-percent commission structure. In an article published in the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal, he expressed high hopes for Wise Custom Realty.

“We know exactly where we are going and exactly how we are going to get there,” he said at the time. “We’ve planned this to the nth degree, and our company is completely designed to support the agent.”