Croton Police Arrest Man Over Forged Inspection Sticker

Marlon D. Clarkson, 32, faces a second-degree charge of possession of a forged instrument, a felony, in connection with an incident at Dom's auto repair shop on South Riverside Avenue.

Clarkson, who was an employee, is alleged to have created a phony inspection sticker for a car. Police said he used an inspection machine to check one car then manually entered data for another car to generate the sticker.

Clarkson was arraigned before Judge Sam Watkins on Feb. 5 and was released on $100 bail. 

In New York State all cars must get a safety inspection and emission inspection every 12 months. Cars must display stickers to prove they passed emissions inspection. Inspections require plugging the state-maintained machine into a car's onboard system.

What was entered manually did not jibe with the car's computer, and Dom's was notified by the Department of Motor Vehicles that there was a discrepancy in the vehicle stickers, said police Sgt. John Niktopoulos.

Clarkson was arrested after a police investigation. The charge is a felony because an inspection sticker is a state-issued document.

You can learn more about the vehicle inspection system at the state Department of Motor Vehicles website.