LANSING – Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Tuesday that Fast Splash Car Wash in southeast Michigan is the latest business contacted by authorities for failing to comply with the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” executive order.

The Attorney General’s office – in coordination with Worthy’s office – sent a cease and desist letter to the business owner on Tuesday. Police have issued four tickets to three of the Fast Splash Car Wash locations for violating Governor Whitmer’s order, but the business continued to operate.

Willful violations of the order can result in a $1,000 fine and/or 90 days in jail for each offense, as well as licensing penalties for businesses and other entities, authorities have said. Violations should be reported to law enforcement agencies overseeing the jurisdiction in which the alleged offense occurred.

When contacted by officers conducting enforcement, employees at multiple car wash locations attempted to mislead authorities by using another police officer’s name and insisting that he said the business could stay open, the AG’s office said. That was not the case. In fact, the police officer spoke with Fast Splash Car Wash owner Ali Sobh and told him the business must temporarily suspend operations due to its status as a nonessential service.

“The state has provided clear guidance that the operations of this type of business are ‘not necessary to sustain or protect life’ as noted in the Stay Home, Stay Safe executive order,” Nessel said. “People continue to die each day from COVID-19, and we all must stay the course and comply with the order to protect as many lives as possible. I know Prosecutor Worthy shares my feelings that anyone recklessly disobeying the executive orders and authorities enforcing them will face consequences.”

The state has said that “car washes or car detailing businesses do not employ critical infrastructure workers and in-person operations should closed pursuant to the Executive Order 2020-21.”

“In times like these, hard decisions must be made and ones that put the safety of Michigan’s residents first are the right decisions to make,” Worthy said. “When violations are reported and confirmed, they will be taken seriously.”