Latest news with #CadillacATS
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Repair shop worker racked up tolls and miles on customer car
All Eric Montgomery wanted was to get his car repaired. 'I dropped it off, and then I flew out of town for almost four weeks,' Montgomery explained. But he claims the repair shop added miles and racked up tolls while he was out of town. He said, 'So obviously, somebody was utilizing the vehicle, you know, the way they shouldn't have been.' Do you have a consumer complaint or need help from Jeff Deal and Action 9? Click the banner below to submit a tip. Montgomery bought a 2018 Cadillac ATS from a dealership off East Colonial Drive in Orlando called DriveHub. 'They really hyped up this 150-point inspection,' he said. But he had some problems with the car almost immediately after closing the deal. Montgomery told Action 9 Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal, 'Honestly, it was like one of those terrible old cartoons where you drive off the lot and the car starts falling apart initially. You know what I mean? Like, almost immediately.' It turned out to be a brake problem and the windshield wipers didn't work, but he said DriveHub was responsive. It instructed him to take it to Repair Hub, a shop a short distance away. Although the companies have similar names, they have different ownership. DriveHub sent an email to Action 9 explaining it frequently collaborates with Repair Hub to resolve post-sale repairs. When Montgomery returned to central Florida, he said he still had to wait for some repairs and when it was time to take it home, he noticed the valve caps on his tires were missing. Montgomery said, 'One of the gentlemen went around to other, I'm assuming, other customers' cars, and just started pulling them off of other people's cars and putting them on mine, like, oh my God.' In the days that followed, he received notices in the mail from the Central Florida Expressway Authority showing 107 toll transactions on his car over a 19-day period. They were all dates Eric Montgomery was out of town. The tolls were on a route between east Orlando and Horizon West for at least 9-days. It appears the car was kept overnights and weekends in the Horizon West area. In an email to Action 9, DriveHub wrote, 'there is no evidence that the vehicle was excessively driven or misused while in Repair Hub's custody.' So, Action 9 stopped at Repair Hub to ask about the tolls. Jeff Deal said, 'Somebody was clearly driving it. Nine different times kept overnight on the weekends and everything.' A man who identified himself as Joao, one of the owners, responded, 'Because I tell you, I can show you the last owner of the car is a friend.' He admitted an employee drove the Cadillac, but claimed the employee thought the car belonged to a friend who used to own it and wouldn't have minded him driving it. He said the employee didn't realize it had been sold to Montgomery. The owner said, 'I think it was two weeks he used. The once employed here, the guy, don't work here anymore.' While Action 9 hasn't been able to determine the exact number of miles put on the car while in the care of Repair Hub, Montgomery got stuck paying $196.64 in tolls. Montgomery said, 'You know, my father was a mechanic, and he owned a garage. If I was ever doing that to one of his clients' cars, I didn't want to think what would happen to me.' Repair Hub told Action 9 it has offered to reimburse Montgomery for the tolls and offered him an extra service package at no charge. DriveHub also said it remains open to assisting Montgomery in finalizing the toll reimbursements and willing to collaborate toward a fair resolution. Montgomery said he hadn't heard from anyone at Repair Hub, but Action 9 has now provided him with the direct phone number for one of the owners.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Yahoo
CT man with alleged BAC nearly three times limit charged with manslaughter in wrong-way crash
A wrong-way driver involved in a fatal crash on Interstate 95 in Westbrook last October faces manslaughter and other additional charges after state police alleged that his blood alcohol content was nearly three times the legal limit. Troy Bree, 58, of Groton was charged Tuesday with driving the wrong way on a limited access highway, second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, misconduct with a motor vehicle and first-degree reckless endangerment, according to Connecticut State Police. The charges stem from a crash on Oct. 9, 2024, that killed 47-year-old Mark Palumbo Jr. of Madison, said the arrest warrant affidavit. Troopers shortly after 8 p.m. responded to the report of a two-car collision involving a wrong-way driver on I-95 South between Exits 66 and 65, state police said. According to state police, Palumbo was driving a 2014 Mustang GT south when he was struck by a 2017 Cadillac ATS that was being driven the wrong way by Bree. Palumbo, the only person in the Mustang, was found unresponsive and was pronounced dead at the scene. Troopers found Bree in the Cadillac, which sustained damage to the driver side front end and was up against a concrete median barrier, preventing him from getting out through that door, according to the warrant affidavit. He was conscious and alert with the passenger door open. According to the warrant affidavit, Bree allegedly told police he was coming home from a restaurant in Essex and that he got on the highway at Exit 9, which state police noted is not in the area and is in Stamford. He told a trooper he had three mixed Vodka drinks before getting behind the wheel and that he was taking cold medicine for a sinus infection, the warrant affidavit said. A trooper alleged that Bree's speech was slow and slurred and his eyes were glossy and bloodshot. State troopers had Bree take multiple field sobriety tests and alleged that he was unable to perform the walk and turn test and the one leg stand, the warrant affidavit said. He was charged at the time with operating under the influence and reckless driving. Bree complained of arm pain and was taken to an area hospital, where state police said he declined to provide a urine sample or undergo a drug evaluation, according to the warrant affidavit. A witness to the crash told troopers he spotted a wrong-way driver on the highway and honked his horn as he passed him, the warrant affidavit said. The man said he then saw in his rearview mirror multiple motorists swerve out of the way to avoid a collision before the driver collided head-on with another vehicle. The vehicle that was struck spun and was sent into a tractor-trailer, the witness told police. During the investigation, state police obtained video surveillance from the restaurant where Bree said he had dinner. He was allegedly seen at the bar with several other people consuming five drinks, the warrant affidavit said. Investigators were also able to obtain a copy of Bree's receipt, which showed he purchased a total of 13 alcoholic beverages, according to the warrant affidavit. Bree declined to give investigators a sworn statement about the 24 hours leading up to the crash without his lawyer, the warrant affidavit said. Bree and the attorney never followed up to give a statement, state police wrote. Investigators on Oct. 15 obtained a search and seizure warrant for Bree's medical records, including a blood sample that was taken, which reportedly showed that his blood alcohol content was 0.22, according to the warrant affidavit. The legal limit to drive in Connecticut is 0.08. An analysis of the crash found that Palumbo was driving somewhere between 56 and 66 mph when it collided with Bree's Cadillac, which investigators believe was going between 47 and 59 mph at the time of impact, according to the warrant affidavit. The analysis found that Palumbo steered to the right and hit his brakes to try to avoid the collision. Bree, state police wrote, hit his brakes just before the collision, the warrant affidavit said. An autopsy showed that Palumbo died of blunt impact injuries to his head, neck, torso and extremities. The death was ruled an accident. According to state police, Bree was held on a $1 million bond following his arrest on the new charges and was expected to appear later in the day in Superior Court in Middletown.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Killer of 95-year-old man at a Port St. Lucie nursing home convicted of murder Friday
FORT PIERCE — After a jury on Friday found that William E. Hawkins in 2020 killed a 95-year-old man at a Port St. Lucie assisted living facility, a judge ordered him to serve life in prison without parole, according to court records and a prosecutor. A jury seated Monday deliberated less than two hours before convicting Hawkins, 52, of first-degree murder with a weapon in connection with the Jan. 5, 2020 homicide of Robert W. Morell at Tiffany Hall Nursing & Rehab Center in Port St. Lucie, Assistant State Attorney Brian Workman said. Port St. Lucie police responded to the scene around 12:20 a.m., after reports that a patient was 'being hurt' by someone at the facility in the 1800 block of Southeast Hillmoor Drive. 'Police learned a nurse walked past the male patient's room when she noticed an unknown male suspect sitting on top of the patient's chest, holding a pillow over his face,' an arrest affidavit stated. Hawkins though, who has listed addresses in Fort Pierce and Vero Beach, initially got away. Workman said Hawkins, who did not testify at his trial, had confessed to Morell's murder during a recorded conversation with his sister at the St. Lucie County Jail. 'He compared this murder to someone who trains for years and years to climb Mount Everest and then finally achieves a goal of climbing the mountain,' Workman said. 'And he finally completed his goal, and he was happy and felt good about it.' Police began suspecting Hawkins shortly after Morell's death after noting Hawkins, who was one of the visitors on Morell's visitor list, possibly matched the description of the assailant supplied by Tiffany Hall staff. Hawkins was identified by investigators as having been romantically involved with Morell's girlfriend, who at one point called Tiffany Hall and told the agency she didn't want Hawkins visiting. Tiffany Hall officials told police Morell had been at Tiffany Hall since September 2019 after a procedure to get a feeding tube installed. His girlfriend was paying for him to stay there after his Medicare coverage ended, and intended to bring him home. Police reviewed visiting logs at Tiffany Hall and found Hawkins visited Morell at least five times since Morell arrived. Hawkins was arrested the day after the homicide in connection with other crimes, including allegations he stole the girlfriend's Cadillac ATS. The Cadillac was found the day of the homicide at 1400 E. Midway Road partially submerged, according to an affidavit and a sheriff's official. Those charges, including burglary of an occupied dwelling, trespassing and grand theft of a vehicle, are still pending, records show. The girlfriend told police she had known Morell for 14 or 15 years and was living at his condo in the 4100 block of North State Road A1A north of the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum. She also said she'd been dating Hawkins for about five months, and that she and Morell had an 'open relationship.' On Jan. 6, 2020, St. Lucie County sheriff's deputies found Hawkins in a shed at a home in the 4800 block of Silver Oak Drive — about a half mile from where the Cadillac was recovered. Hawkins said he was cold and needed somewhere to sleep. According to an affidavit, Hawkins' aunt owned the home there. Port St. Lucie police analyzed a cell phone that belonged to Hawkins that was recovered from the Cadillac. They were able to track the phone's movements between the condo on Hutchinson Island and Tiffany Hall. A day after his arrest, records show Hawkins' sister contacted police and said Hawkins had been calling their mother from jail, but they weren't taking the calls. The sister told police if her brother committed the murder, she could get him to tell her what happened. Police gave Hawkins' sister a recording device, and she visited him in jail. 'Did you put the pillow over his face?' the sister asked. 'Yeah, I did,' Hawkins is quoted as saying in case documents. He said he planned the homicide for years, using Morell's girlfriend to be close to Morell. 'He's the reason why my life's messed up. Okay?' Hawkins said. 'He's the reason I keep getting (expletive). So, I took care of it myself.' Hawkins' sister, Workman said, did not testify at his trial. 'What stood out to me was that Mr. Morrell … survived for 95 years, and he survived all the dangers of life. And in the end, it was a murderer who stalked him to a bed in a room in a nursing home,' Workman said. 'The evidence showed that even then, Mr. Morell fought for his life, and he fought back against the man that came to his room in the middle of the night to murder him.' Opinion: Fort Pierce faces limited options with city manager salary talks Housing Choice Voucher program: Section 8 available first time in 5 years Melissa E. Holsman is the legal affairs reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers and is writer and co-host of "Uncertain Terms," a true-crime podcast. Reach her at This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: William Hawkins guilty of 2020 murder at PSL assisted living facility
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Yahoo
Child injured after being hit by vehicle in Batavia
BATAVIA, Ill. – A child was injured Tuesday afternoon after being hit by a vehicle in Batavia. The Batavia Police Department said the crash happened just before 4:30 p.m. near the intersection of North Kirk Road and East Wilson Street. When first responders arrived, the child was conscious and able to speak with them. The child was taken to a local hospital for treatment and is in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries, according to investigators. 1 dead, 1 injured after Naperville home catches fire Police said the preliminary investigation indicated the child was crossing the roadway outside of the crosswalk. Part of the roadway was temporarily closed for the investigation, but the roadway has since reopened. Police said the driver of the vehicle, a black 2014 Cadillac ATS, is cooperating with the investigation and no citations have been issued at this time. The investigation remains ongoing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
