Date: Fri 25-Dec-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Trudeau-DMV-repairs-license

Full Text:

Trudeau Charged For Repairs Without A License

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Town police have charged William Trudeau, Jr, 35, proprietor of Trudeau's

Service Center at 47-49 South Main Street, with three counts of operating a

motor vehicle repair business without a license.

Members of the police patrol division and detective division were executing a

search and seizure warrant at the business December 18. In the course of their

search for business records in connection with a related matter, police said

they found that Trudeau had three vehicles at the business which were

illegally under repair.

Police issued a misdemeanor summons to Trudeau for a January 6 appearance in

Danbury Superior Court.

The state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) suspended Trudeau's Service

Center's vehicle repairer's license in September, after finding that the

automobile repair shop had made a false statement to a customer; overcharged a

customer for repairs, which included unauthorized work; and sold a used car

without a certificate of title.

After the repairer's license suspension, Mr Trudeau said he would appeal DMV's

three suspension orders.

DMV spokesman Bill Seymour said Tuesday Mr Trudeau has exhausted all of his

appeal rights before the DMV and his repairer's license remains under

suspension.

Mr Trudeau said Tuesday, "We're going to be selling the repair business."

"Another entity" will take over the business, he said. He, however, declined

to disclose the identity of that entity. That entity will be seeking a DMV

repairer's license, he said.

Trudeau's Service Center will remain in the tire, battery and automotive

accessory business, he said. Such motor vehicle work doesn't require a

repairer's license.

Mr Trudeau said he will be landscaping the southern end of his property which

was recently cleared of vegetation and rock outcrops. The area will be used

for parking and eventually will be put to some unspecified commercial use, he

said.

Court Judgment

In court ruling disclosed December 21, a Danbury Superior Court Judge J.

Nadeau ordered Trudeau to neither keep nor place illegal signs at the business

under the terms of the town's zoning regulations.

The judge ordered that all illegal signs including an internally illuminated

sign be removed by early January. Judge Nadeau imposed a fine of $12,000

against Trudeau based on a rate of $25 per day for 480 days for sign

violations. That fine is due by January 15.

The court didn't find that the sign violations were willful.

Judge Nadeau ruled that in the event Trudeau doesn't comply with the court

order by the deadlines imposed, the court will reconsider having Trudeau cover

some of the town's legal fees for its court proceeding against Trudeau.

Zoning Enforcement Officer Gary Frenette said Tuesday "Basically, he has to

remove all his illegal signs."

The judge's ruling specifies which signs are allowable on the premises, Mr

Frenette said. Allowed are one wall sign for each of the two lots and one

double-faced sign for each lot.

Mr Frenette said he will be checking Trudeau's property for compliance with

the court order.

"I hope he clears up his violations. I'd rather work with people than against

them," Mr Frenette said.

Other current violations on the Trudeau property involve an illegal fence, the

storage of bulky waste, and the sale of used cars without a dealer's license,

Mr Frenette said.

"I don't know why he doesn't comply. I try to work with anybody," Mr Frenette

said.

"I am glad that we won this judgment," he added. "This is really good for the

town that this decision came down," he said, noting that the town will be

starting a strict enforcement campaign against various violators of the

commercial sign regulations. Mr Trudeau has been the most serious violator of

the sign regulations, according to Mr Frenette.