Stafford Couple Accused Of Auto Repair Scams

STAFFORD COUNTY, VA — A husband and wife who own two Stafford County businesses have been accused of scamming multiple customers and are facing criminal charges, says the Stafford Sheriff's Office. Ronda Hudson, owner of Ronda’s Puppy Love Grooming and Day Spa, and Rodger Hudson, owner of Hudson’s Auto Service, have been charged with conspiracy, failure to return a vehicle and obtaining money by false pretenses.

The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are pending against the couple, the sheriff's office announced Thursday.

In one case, a woman told the Stafford Sheriff’s Office on May 24 that back in February, she paid Hudson’s Auto Service about $1,800 to rebuild her vehicle's transmission. The unidentified woman eventually learned that the Hudsons had been driving her car without her knowledge.

On March 12, she contacted the Hudsons "to inquire about the estimated completion date for the repairs. They told her it would be ready soon," the sheriff's office said in a statement.

"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 a part needed to complete the repairs," the sheriff's office said.

She refused to pay, and Hudson agreed to return the vehicle to her soon. But she never heard from the Hudsons again.

The woman told the sheriff's office that she eventually received a call from another transmission shop, saying that her vehicle had been dropped off in front of their business.

"She was told the transmission was destroyed, and that the Hudsons had been using her vehicle to drive back and forth between businesses, which likely broke the transmission," the sheriff's office said.

Dispute Over Services

In another case, an individual told the sheriff's office on June 1 that he paid the Hudsons more than $500 for car repair services, but they were never performed because Hudson Auto Service went out of business.

The individual then paid the couple nearly $1,000 to have the vehicle towed to another repair location, the sheriff's office said, and Ronda Hudson promised to pay the cost of the tow truck.

But the work on the vehicle was never done, and the Hudsons failed to reimburse the car owner. The man decided to pay another shop to do the repairs, the sheriff's office said.

Anyone who believes they may be a victim of a scam involving these businesses is asked to contact the Stafford Sheriff’s Office at (540) 658-4400.

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