Auto Shop Owner Pleads Guilty to Operating Without Comp

The Washington state Department of Labor & Industries said the owner of an auto repair shop who changed the name of his business and his business license number after falling behind on workers’ compensation premiums pleaded guilty to operating without comp coverage. Rodney E. Dietrich, 56, on Thursday pleaded guilty to a gross misdemeanor of employing workers’ without providing comp. He was sentenced to 364 days in jail, but the sentence was suspended, LY&I said. Dietrich paid the department $341 for two months of premiums, and also paid a worker $670 for improper ded...