Rutledge Announces February Mobile Office Schedule

News and notes from the Arkansas Attorney General By Amanda Priest

Arkansas Attorney General’s Office LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced mobile office locations for February.

Attorney General Rutledge created this initiative during her first year in office to increase office accessibility for all Arkansans, particularly to those who live outside the capital city. Office hours were held in all 75 counties each year during her first term, assisting 3,300 Arkansans. In 2019, Attorney General Mobile Offices served over 2,200 Arkansans.

Rutledge believes faceto- face conversations are the best way to truly hear from Arkansans. The Attorney General Mobile Offices assist Arkansans with consumer related issues by filing consumer complaints against scam artists as well as answering questions about the office and the other services it offers to constituents.

Rutledge continues her partnerships with local law enforcement across Arkansas. Law enforcement officials will be on hand to collect unused and expired prescription medications to ensure they are secured and properly disposed.

Arkansans are encouraged to bring their old, unused or expired prescription medications to an upcoming mobile office. During Rutledge’s five years in office, over 800 pounds of medications were collected at mobile offices.

For more information about services provided by the Attorney General’s office, visit ArkansasAG. gov or call (501) 682-2007. Rutledge can also be found on Facebook at facebook.com/ AGLeslieRutledge and on Twitter at twitter.

com/AGRutledge.

The upcoming mobile office schedule is below:

• Garland County — Tuesday, February 4, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., McAuley Senior Center, 5010 Highway 7 North, Hot Springs Village

• Saline County — Thursday, February 6, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., CADC Benton Senior Wellness & Activity Center, 1800 Citizens Drive, Benton

• Lonoke County — Tuesday, February 11, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The PEAK Center of Cabot, 506 North Grant Street, Cabot

• Faulkner County — Thursday, February 13, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Conway Senior Wellness & Activity Center, 705 Siebenmorgen Road, Conway

• Arkansas County — Thursday, February 20, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Stuttgart Senior Citizens Center, 811 South

Buerkle Stuttgart

• Lincoln County — Tuesday, February 25, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Star City Senior Citizens Center, 207 North Drew, Star City

• Jackson County — Thursday, February 27, 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., Jackson County Senior Center, 400 North Pecan Street, Newport In other news from the Arkansas Attorney General:

• Rutledge filed a lawsuit today against Classic 24 Hr. Towing & Recovery, a Hot Springs business for operating without a license, mandatory permits, vehicle registration or liability insurance. The owner, Paul Vujicic, advertises that his company has been in business for more than 40 years, yet evidence shows, it has never been properly licensed.

“Every time this illegitimate business is put to work, its customers are unknowingly put at risk,” said Attorney General Rutledge.

“Arkansas has these regulations in place for the safety and protection of both consumers and business owners.”

According to the complaint, Vijicic has been cited repeatedly by the Hot Springs Police Department for failure to register his towing vehicles, failure to have insurance, as well as safety and moving violations.

• Rutledge today announced the judgment against Jonathan Funk and his company Jonathan Funk Photography, LLC for violations of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The Order states the LLC is to pay $98,625 in restitution, $100,000 in civil penalties, $1,135 in filing fees and service costs and to transfer images to consumers. After the initial lawsuit in 2018, Rutledge received two hard drives containing thousands of digital files belonging to a few of the affected consumers.

“Photographs of some of life’s most precious events will finally be given to their rightful owners where they can be appreciated and shared,” said Attorney General Rutledge.

“Arkansans who pay for photography services at their weddings or other special events expect to get what they pay for, but companies like Jonathan Funk Photography who act dishonestly will not be tolerated in Arkansas.”

In 2018, Rutledge filed a lawsuit against Jonathan Funk Photography after receiving 54 complaints from Arkansans impacted by Funk’s deception. The business advertised in many local Arkansas magazines offering photography services and professional portraits of newborns and special events. Consumers paid in full after their photography session and waited patiently for several months, never receiving the portraits Jonathan Funk Photography promised to deliver. As a result, Arkansans lost money and, more importantly, lost the memories they sought to capture.

• Rutledge today announced the 2020 Northwest Arkansas Law Enforcement Training event will be held on Wednesday, March 11 at Northwest Arkansas Community College. Rutledge annually hosts these free regional trainings throughout the State, where all participants will receive Continuing Legal Education (CLE) and Commission Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST) credits. This year’s event will feature instructors from the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy and Alcoholic Beverage Control who will discuss the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act.

“Meeting Arkansans where they are includes providing free and relevant educational resources to our law enforcement officials,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “This training will highlight the many issues law enforcement officials face with the legalization of medicinal marijuana that they can take back to their agencies and better protect all Arkansans.”

Participant will hear presentations on the enforcement and impacts on law enforcement of Arkansas’s medical marijuana law from Alcohol Beverage Control Agent Chris Boyd and Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy Training Supervisor Clint Scrivner. Assistant Attorney General Jill Irwin will present on Monsters Behind the Machines, which will look into some of the cases that have been investigated by the Attorney General’s Office Special Investigations Division. Leslie Carol Rutledge is the 56th Attorney General of Arkansas.

A native of Batesville, she is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law. Rutledge clerked for the Arkansas Court of Appeals, was Deputy Counsel for former Governor Mike Huckabee, served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Lonoke County and was an Attorney at the Department of Human Services before serving as Counsel at the Republican National Committee. Rutledge and her husband, Boyce, have one daughter. The family has a home in Pulaski County and a farm in Crittenden County.

Last Friday, the Marion Math, Science & Technology Magnet held its first week of “Wild About Grandparents” activities with 4-6 graders. As part of the fun, the grandmas, grandmas, memaws and pop-pops got a chance to check out MST’s new greenhouse with the grandkids. This, week, the K-3 MST grands will be on campus.

Photos courtesy of MSD