In December 2007, when the recession officially started, Perrins and his brother-in-law, Casey Ashdown, were still learning the small-business ropes. In 2004, they became one of the first franchisees for Zerorez, a chemical-free carpet cleaning company.

Police are seperately investigating the same suspect in connection with reports that a man has been transporting women to area hotels and motels in a white van with the business logo "Heaven's Best Carpet Cleaning." When police arrested the 40-year-old …