A new gas station owner in Willow Springs has been fined $12,900 for failing to get proper licenses and permits to install gaming machines and for selling THC-infused products in defiance of the village’s ban on those items.
Soni Pragnaden, owner of Willow Springs Fuel, Inc., did not attend the May adjudication hearing on 18 charges at village hall. By skipping the hearing, all citations were automatically upheld.
The violations centered on two issues: operating gaming machines without a license or permit and selling THC products which are prohibited in Willow Springs. The fine breaks down to 17 citations at $750 each, plus one citation for $150.
“It’s surprising because he knew the date and time (of the hearing). By not showing up, the citations are defaulted against them,” Village Administrator Ryan Grace said. “They stand and hold up.”
Pragnaden has 30 days to pay the fine. If he misses the deadline, the case goes to collections.
Grace said the owner contacted him the week after receiving citations in late March and was advised to show up before the hearing officer. “By choosing not to show up, I’m not sure what the plan is,” Grace said. “Not a good strategy.”
Pragnaden could not be reached for comment.
The violations came to light after the village issued electrical permits for what the owner claimed would be a storage room — for refrigerators and freezers to hold product. But within weeks of passing inspection, the room became a gaming area.
“That’s why I went down there,” Grace said. “As soon as they passed their inspection, it became a gaming room.”
The gaming machines have since been removed. THC products are no longer being sold at the station.
Hearing Officer Richard Blass is unlikely to vacate the fines, Grace said. The owner would have had a better chance of negotiating a reduction if he had attended the hearing.
“(Blass) is known to work with people,” Grace said. “Had they shown up, they’d at least have the opportunity to ask for that.”
After the hearing, Blass said: “It’s a default judgement because they failed to show up. That’s their right.”
It’s unclear whether Pragnaden will appeal or pay the fine.
Regarding the room where the machines had been, Grace said “it states right on the electrical permit that they were for a storage area. So, the intent, what they told us, was they were putting refrigerators and freezers in there for product storage.
“As soon as they passed their inspection, it became a gaming room, which is why I went down there. Within weeks of that electrical permit being approved, they turned it into a gaming room,” Grace added.
Regarding the fines, six are for running five gaming machines and one ATM dispensary without permits, six are for failure to pay the annual license fee for each of the five gaming machines and the ATM dispensary, and two are for operating a business without a business license ore operating outside the parameters of their license.
One fine is for possession of drug paraphernalia; one fine is for possession of more than 500 mg of THC in cannabis-infused products; and one is for the sale or delivery of drugs. THC is the primary compound in marijuana that makes people feel high.
The $150 fine is for violating hours of operation. The license says the store can be open from 5 am. to midnight but it was operating 24 hours a day, the March 29 police report said.