Mechanic arrested on several charges

Friday, July 27, 2001 | 10:57 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A Las Vegas man who allegedly padded repair bills and attempted to strong-arm customers into paying them was arrested Wednesday.

Alan Taylor, owner of Akita Auto Repair, is accused of running a snowplow into one female customer and locking another woman in his garage against her will.

Taylor, 34, was arrested on charges of coercion, false imprisonment and deceptive trade practices, the state attorney general's office said Thursday.

Deputy Attorney General Ernest Figueroa said Taylor has posted bail, but no court date has been set for his first appearance.

Taylor could not be reached for comment. Telephone calls to the business at 6940 W. Patrick Lane went unanswered.

According to the criminal complaint, Taylor failed to give written estimates to consumers for auto repairs, performed unauthorized repairs, fraudulently altered estimates and receipts, used physical force to make customers pay him for unauthorized repairs and held a female customer in his garage against her will.

One of the alleged victims named in the complaint brought her BMW to Taylor's shop to be repaired. She said Taylor originally quoted her a price of $400. He later raised the price to $580 because, he said, he needed another part. He also threatened not to put the engine back together if she didn't pay, according to the complaint.

After some argument she said she paid Taylor the $580 and demanded a receipt. She said she intended to go to small claims court and the Better Business Bureau. But after Taylor wrote out the receipt he shredded it, she said.

The woman said she demanded another receipt, but Taylor ordered her off the premises. She refused and called the police.

Taylor, according to the woman, then went back in the garage, got a snowplow and began driving it toward her and her parents, who had driven their daughter to the garage. The woman said her mother became frightened and got in the car as the plow moved toward her. The woman and her father stood in front of the car so Taylor would not ram the vehicle.

The woman said Taylor then ran the blade of the snowplow into her. She was not seriously hurt, and when police arrived she said she agreed to sign a battery complaint against Taylor.

Another woman customer allegedly was locked in his garage. She said she has filed a civil suit against Taylor.

Figueroa said Taylor is charged with two felony counts of coercion, which carry a maximum six-year prison term for each count, and a $5,000 fine. He also faces one gross misdemeanor count of false imprisonment, which includes a jail term of up to one year and a $2,000 fine. And there are eight counts of deceptive trade practices; each count carries a sentence of up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Auto repair businesses in Nevada are required to provide written estimates of charges for repairs made to a vehicle that exceed $50; must obtain authorization before any additional repairs are made to a vehicle if the charges exceed 20 percent of the original estimate or $100, whichever is less; and the shop must give a completed statement of charges for repairs made to the vehicle.

Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said, "Before selecting a mechanic, consumers should ask for recommendations from friends and family, check a repair shop's complaint records with the Nevada Consumer Affairs Division and make sure the shop is certified."

A commissioner with the Nevada Consumer Affairs Division said there have been three complaints filed against Taylor's business in the past 12 months. One of the complaints has been closed and two remain open, but the commissioner would not comment further.