DOWAGIAC — Jake’s Enterprises, a car dealership, located in Dowagiac since 1998 was issued a suspension by the State of Michigan on Tuesday for failing to provide dealership records, which is required by law.

According to a press release issued by the state, on Feb. 20, a department regulation agent visited Jake’s Enterprises, owned by Jake Meachum, to run a routine general compliance inspection at the dealership. The dealership, at 92100 M-152, Dowagiac had hours listed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, but the front door was locked and no employees were present, the state said.

“The [inspector] basically found the dealership to be basically vacated,” said Michael Doyle, the communications manager for the Michigan Department of State.

Prior to the Feb. 20 attempt, there had been no prior complaints or incidents, Doyle said, and Meachum’s license was current and renewed for this year of 2019.

On March 20, the state issued a preliminary conference notice to Meachum by mail requesting he provide records needed for the inspection. On April 25, the notice was unclaimed, meaning the post office made more than one attempt to provide the addressee with the document, but Meachum never claimed it, Doyle said.

The summary suspension has been issued by the State after the two attempts to obtain dealership records have failed.

“A suspension means Jake’s Enterprises can’t buy or sell cars, or advertise they sell cars,” Doyle said. “They are basically a private citizen rather than a dealer. They can’t hand out temporary license plates.”

A suspension sign has been posted on the front door to Jake’s Enterprises, along with a copy of the suspension notice, Doyle said.

“Basically, we just want Mr. Meachum to contact our regulatory team so we can resolve this issue,” Doyle said.

A dealer license may be reinstated by the State Department when proof is shown the dealer has complied with state laws, according to the state. Additionally, a dealer can request an administrative hearing if it is believed the suspension was wrongly issued. A failure to meet state requirements can result in additional administrative actions to be taken by the State.

At the time of the publication of this article, Meachum had not responded for comment.

Consumers with complaints against Jake’s Enterprises can call the Investigative Service automotive complaint line at (517) 335-1410.