Owner of Britt Motorsports charged with altering serial numbers

The owner of Britt Motorsports has been charged with altering or changing manufacturer’s serial numbers on salvaged motorcycles after a 10-month investigation by The Division of Motor Vehicles License and Theft, DMV officials said.

David Scott Britt, of Whimsy Way in Wilmington, was charged Tuesday by The Division of Motor Vehicles License and Theft with six counts of altering or changing a manufacturer’s serial number, six counts of common law solicitation of a felony and two counts of fraudulent title application, said Marge Howell, spokeswoman for the Division of Motor Vehicles.

His bond was set at $20,000.

Britt owns and operates multi-franchised Britt Motorsports dealerships in Wilmington, Jacksonville and Morehead City, according to the Britt Motorsports Web site. He is also listed as owning Britt Hotrodz locations in Wilmington and Fayetteville.

Also charged by the DMV were Robert Connelly, who is currently employed by Britt Motorpsorts of Wilmington, and Donald Hill Jr., who was previously employed at Britt Motorsports, Howell said.

Connelly, of Cherokee Trail in Wilmington, was charged with six counts of altering or changing a manufacturer’s serial number. His bond was set at $10,000.

Hill, of Cornell Court in Leland, was charged with six counts of altering or changing manufacturer’s serial numbers and six counts of common law solicitation of a felony. His bond was set at $20,000.

Howell said all of the charges are related to salvaged motorcycles, which were seized and found to have vehicle identification numbers removed from the frame and welded onto other motorcycles to aid in the fraudulent titling of the motorcycles.

“The investigation also involved custom built motorcycles. They were seized and discovered to have manufacturer’s assigned serial numbers hand stamped onto custom built frames,” Howell said. “This would allow the motorcycle to be improperly registered using the manufacturer’s name.”

Britt did not immediately return a phone message left at the Wilmington location for comment.

Britt, Hill and Connelly had their first appearance in court Wednesday, according to the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office. No further information was available at press time.

Contact Molly DeWitt at 910-219-8455 or mdewitt@freedomenc.com.