Multiple Men Arrested for the Unauthorized Sale of State Safety Inspection Stickers

The New Hampshire State Police – Troop G recently concluded multiple investigations into licensed State of New Hampshire Inspection Stations that resulted in the arrest of three subjects.

On June 19, 2020, Thomas Strand, age 64, of Nashua, NH and Kenneth Dunklee, age 47, of Nashua, NH were both arrested on multiple charges stemming from the unauthorized sale of official State of New Hampshire Safety Inspection Stickers. It is estimated that in 2019 the two men may have collected as much as $200,000 from the sale of unauthorized State of New Hampshire Safety Inspection Stickers.

In April of 2020, Trooper First Class Christopher Prenaveau received information that employees at Otterson Street Auto in Nashua, NH were issuing official State of New Hampshire Safety Inspection Stickers to vehicles that had not received proper safety inspections. TFC Prenaveau reviewed information from the New Hampshire On-Board Diagnostic and Safety Inspection (NHOST) program operated by Gordon Darby, where he found data that indicated that proper inspections were not being performed. TFC Prenaveau subsequently monitored the station and on multiple occasions observed vehicles arrive at Otterson Street Auto where they received official State of New Hampshire Safety Inspection Stickers without being inspected.

Further investigation revealed that Strand had used Dunklee's Username and Password in order to login to the NHOST computer network in order to complete the process of issuing official State of New Hampshire Safety Inspection Stickers.

Strand and Dunklee were both arrested without incident at Otterson Street Auto. Strand was charged with three counts of Unauthorized Display of Inspection Stickers and one count of Computer Crimes. Dunklee was charged with two counts of Unauthorized Display of Inspection Stickers. Dunklee and Strand were released on personal recognizance bail and ordered to appear in the 9th Circuit – District Division – Nashua Court on August 5th, 2020.

On March 13, 2020, Darryl Ritchie, age 54, of Candia, NH was arrested on multiple charges stemming from the unauthorized sale of official State of New Hampshire Safety Inspection Stickers. In January of 2020, TFC Prenaveau and Automotive Equipment Inspector William Dunn arrived at Massabesic Quick Lube in Hooksett, NH to perform a routine audit of the authorized State of New Hampshire Inspection Station.

During the audit, a New Hampshire registered vehicle was observed in the parking lot that did not appear to be safe for the road, but displayed an official State of New Hampshire Safety Inspection Sticker that had been issued by Ritchie six days prior. The vehicle was observed to have windows that did not function, sharp edges, as well as a non-functioning defroster in violation of safety inspection requirements. As the vehicle was not safe for the road, TFC Prenaveau applied for and was granted an immediate suspension of the vehicle's registration.

Following the audit, TFC Prenaveau continued to investigate the validity of official State of New Hampshire Inspection Stickers that were issued by Ritchie. TFC Prenaveau subsequently monitored the station on several occasions and observed multiple vehicles receive an official State of New Hampshire Safety Inspection Sticker without a proper inspection.

Ritchie was arrested without incident when he surrendered himself to the New Hampshire State Police at the Hooksett Police Department. Ritchie was charged with three counts of Unauthorized Display of Inspection Stickers. He was released on personal recognizance bail and ordered to appear in the 6th Circuit – District Division – Hooksett Court on May 7th, 2020.

Each year since 2017, State of New Hampshire Safety Inspections have discovered that more than 80,000 vehicles have failed safety inspections for issues with brake system components, more than 63,000 vehicles have failed safety inspections for issues with the steering system, and 50,000 vehicles have failed safety inspections for unsafe tires. The Troopers and Automotive Equipment Inspectors of New Hampshire State Police State Police – Troop G are dedicated to insuring the safety requirements of vehicles operating on New Hampshire's roadways by continuing to monitor the accuracy and validity of New Hampshire State Safety Inspections, including the facilities and mechanics licensed to perform those services.

The New Hampshire State Police was assisted in these investigations by the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles, the Hooksett Police Department, and Gordon Darby.