The attorney general has concluded after an investigation into possible price gouging that a Ward gas station did not overcharge for gasoline earlier this year as Hurricane Ike approached the Texas coast last September.
Attorney General Dustin Mc-Daniel has found that 31/38 Grocery in Ward, along with eight others in the state, did not overcharge their customers.
Many Arkansans had contacted the attorney general’s office to complain about the sky-rocketing cost of gasoline.
In response to nearly 5,000 complaints, McDaniel issued investigative subpoenas to 15 companies that own or operate approximately 80 gas stations across the state.
All 15 companies have now responded to the investigative subpoenas.
The attorney general’s office is seeking additional information and documentation from several of these companies to clarify the initial responses and those investigations are continuing.
McDaniel said four companies had provided information and other documentation demonstrating that the retail price of gasoline at their locations did not violate the price gouging law or the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
The attorney general’s conclusion was based upon an extensive review of records submitted to his office as well as a review of gasoline market prices at the time.
Besides 31/38 Grocery, the companies and gas stations that were exonerated include:
Day and Nite Stores, with seven stations in El Dorado, Hampton, Sheridan, Warren, England, Stephens and Camden; Circle C Community Grocery in Wooster, and A.J.’s station in Paragould.
McDaniel’s office sent a letter to these companies thanking them for their cooperation and telling them that the investigation into their companies is now closed.
The attorney general’s office has not yet reached any conclusions about the remaining parties.
