ROCKLAND, Maine — The state has agreed to drop charges against a Searsport paving contractor who was accused of violating consumer laws earlier this summer when he resurfaced driveways at two Rockland residences.
The attorney for 31-year-old Fred J. Cameron of Searsport said he considers the settlement a vindication of his client. Attorney Aaron Fethke said the state overreacted in the case.
“At most this was a technical violation of, frankly, anti-business regulations,” Fethke said.
In June, Rockland police issued five summonses to Cameron for violating the Maine Consumer Solicitation Sales Act. Police said in a news release at the time that the charges stemmed from Cameron going door-to-door offering to resurface driveways.
Police explained in the release that the violations involved a state law requiring that contractors be licensed to sell goods in the municipality in which they are working and that they inform potential door-to-door customers there is a mandatory three-day waiting period before work can begin. Police said Cameron was not licensed to operate in Rockland and did not wait the requisite three days to pave driveways.
Cameron denied any wrongdoing in June and said competitors were behind the complaints.
Fethke said Tuesday that the licensing requirement only applied if a person was going door to door for sales. He said his client did not go door to door but simply contacted neighboring property owners while already on a job in Rockland. The attorney said Cameron figured he could save neighbors money since his paving equipment already was in the area.
During a hearing Monday in Knox County Superior Court, the state agreed to dismiss the charges against Cameron, according to Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Baroody. In exchange, Cameron agreed to change the wording on his contracts to conform to state law, the prosecutor said.
In addition, Cameron agreed to pay a little more than $1,000 to one of the property owners who was unhappy with his driveway paving job, Baroody said.
“This was a reasonable resolution for everyone,” Baroody said.