Two Stafford Business Owners Charged

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(Stafford)- From the Stafford Sheriff’s Office:

A husband and wife who own two Stafford County businesses have been charged by the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office with obtaining money by false pretenses, failure to return a vehicle, and conspiracy after scamming multiple customers.

The husband and wife under investigation are Ronda Hudson, owner of Ronda’s Puppy Love Grooming and Day Spa LLC, and Rodger Hudson, owner of Hudson’s Auto Service LLC.

On June 1, 2018, a Stafford detective met with an individual claiming to be a victim of a scam involving Hudson’s Auto Service. The victim told the detective that on March 3, 2018 he met with Rodger and Ronda Hudson at their auto shop on Warrenton Road. He entered into an agreement with the Hudson’s regarding over $500 worth of car repairs.

The victim later contacted Ronda Hudson after the date the service was scheduled to be completed. The victim had previously visited the shop on several occasions to ask when the repairs would be done. Ronda Hudson told the victim the repairs were taking so long because they were going out of business.

Ronda Hudson told the victim the repairs would need to be done at a separate location. The victim paid $975.86 to get the vehicle towed to the new location. Ronda Hudson promised to pay the cost of the tow truck. When he arrived, he learned the work that was supposed to be done on the vehicle had not been accomplished.

The victim then called Ronda Hudson and asked to be reimbursed. She directed him to come to her dog grooming business for a refund. The victim showed up at the shop on the scheduled date and the Hudson’s told him they didn’t have the money. They asked him to come back at a later date.

The victim returned to the business on several occasions and neither Rodger nor Ronda Hudson was there to reimburse him. He again called Ronda Hudson who promised a refund, but he never received the money. He decided to pay a separate automotive business to do all the repairs on his vehicle.

In a separate incident, a victim contacted the Sheriff’s Office on May 24, 2018 in reference to a scam involving the Hudson’s businesses. The victim told the detective that on February 23, 2018 she paid Hudson’s Auto Service approximately $1800.00 to rebuild the transmission on her vehicle.

The victim contacted the Hudson’s on March 12, 2018 to inquire about the estimated completion date for the repairs. They told her it would be ready soon. After another month, the victim still had not received her vehicle. She went to the shop and Rodger Hudson told her he needed more money for an additional part needed to complete the repairs. She did not agree to pay additional money and Rodger Hudson agreed to return the vehicle to her shortly.

Although the victim called the Hudson’s multiple times and left several voicemails, she never heard from the Hudson’s again. She eventually received a call from Rodney’s Transmission advising that her vehicle had been dropped off in the front of their business. She was told the transmission was destroyed, and that the Hudson’s had been using her vehicle to drive back and forth between businesses, which likely broke the transmission.

The Hudson’s have been charged with failure to return a vehicle, obtaining money by false pretenses, and conspiracy. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are pending. Anyone who believes they may be a victim of a scam involving these businesses is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at (540) 658-4400.