Press Release from East Haven Police Department

A local tow truck company owner was arrested by East Haven Police after numerous complaints regarding price gouging came to light. These complaints prompted an investigation, led by Sergeant Joseph Mulhern, that revealed a pattern of overcharging customers outside of what Connecticut state statute allows.

The investigation began on Jan. 5, when a motor vehicle operator questioned the amount of money that One Source Towing & Repair in East Haven was going to charge them to tow their vehicle approximately 0.7 miles away from the motor vehicle stop. In that case, One Source Towing & Repair, which is one of three local tow companies on the East Haven Police Department (EHPD) tow rotation list, charged the motorist more than double what state statute allows.

The investigation revealed that on over 50 occasions, One Source Towing & Repair charged an “administrative fee,” a “fuel surcharge fee,” and other fees outside of the regulatory state-set fees. In total, it was determined that $5,804.48 in fraudulent “administrative fees” were collected from customers, $296.26 in fraudulent “fuel surcharges” were collected from customers, and $442.41 was collected from customers in fraudulent mileage fees.

An arrest warrant affidavit was submitted, and the owner/licensee of One Source Towing & Repair, identified as Melissa Rivera, 33, was charged with larceny in the third degree. She was released on a $5,000 court-set bond and is scheduled to appear in New Haven court on Wednesday, March 20.

In addition to the pending charges, One Source Towing & Repair has been suspended from the EHPD tow rotation list pending a hearing at a date yet to be determined.

The EHPD noted that this incident is still under investigation.