BATON ROUGE - A local driving school owes refunds to at least 40 people who paid for a service that they did not receive.

Numerous people reached out to the WBRZ Investigative Unit complaining of the same thing: they paid $500 to Metro City Driving Academy but did not get their credits that are required before they can obtain a license.

"I've been calling her and she does not answer," Joy Hale said.

Hale paid Rodeshia Truitt $500 and still does not have her license. She's missing the necessary paperwork from Metro City Driving Academy and other essential driving credits necessary to get her license at the DMV.

"It's definitely a scam," Hale said. "I've been calling her almost every day for two weeks now and still no answer. I've left voice messages. I've texted her. I even got my friend to call her and still no answer."

Hale's story is similar to other students and parents the WBRZ Investigative Unit spoke to.

When WBRZ contacted Truitt by phone, she promised to conduct an on-camera interview Friday afternoon. Prior to the interview time, Truitt canceled.

"It's not a scam," Truitt said over the phone. "I did the work. "

Truitt admitted at least 18 people were owed refunds.

"I didn't think I wasn't going to be able to refund them when we closed," Truitt said.

The Office of Motor Vehicles regulates driving schools across the State of Louisiana. Leaders said once the bad behavior was discovered, it suspended the owner's ability to operate.

"She is closed," said Kelly Sittig, customer service administrator at OMV. "She is no longer a licensed provider."

Sittig oversees 200 driving schools across Louisiana. She called what happened in this case very rare.

Last fall, OMV suspended Truitt's ability to do business. The Investigative Unit learned she was shut down because Truitt let her insurance lapse.

The Investigative Unit learned some of the driving tests were conducted in four cars without insurance. That's when the OMV raided her business.

"We went in and took files, because we had the suspicion that we were going to be dealing with it," Sittig said.

Sittig said their files indicate Truitt owes thousands of dollars to at least 40 people for the schooling they paid for but did not receive.

Sittig said now that the OMV has intervened, they need to hear from anyone that used Truitt's business and didn't get their driving credits.

You can contact the OMV at 225-925-1795 or by sending them an email to LADRIVINGSCHOOLS@DPS.LA.GOV