Police arrested Jack Sousa, the owner of the Academy of Driving, his wife and three former employees Tuesday on fraud and forgery charges. State police said they handed out learner's permits without parental consent and altered Department of Motor Vehicle documents."We're disappointed that the investigation led to so many charges," said Sousa's attorney, John Droney, in statement. "There are a whole series of technical violations which we haven't had a chance to review and see if they are true or not."State police served a search warrant earlier this year at the school's Watertown and Waterbury locations. Police said they uncovered dozens of forged consent forms."These are Department of Motor Vehicle documents that, in fact, had inappropriate or improper information attached to them," Lt. Paul Vance said.
Academy of Driving instructor Jim Thompson said Tuesday he did not know about the charges."I know something's going on, but I wasn't told specifically what was going on," he said.A father dropping off his son for driving lessons also said he was not aware of the charges."I will tell my wife, and she'll take care of it," he said. "Of course we don't want anything that is not kosher or not legal."The DMV also brought nearly 500 charges against the school itself and issued a summons to the owners. A hearing will whether it can stay open. Until then, school said lessons will continue.
The Academy of Driving has more than 50 locations. More than 500 students are in training at any one time.
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