Murphy – State officials have selected a new company to be the permanent license plate agency contractor in Cherokee County.
As of Tuesday, Kyle Ian Donohue and Phoebe Michelle Donohue are the new managers of the license plate agency in Valley Village Shopping Center on the 1100 block of Andrews Road. Business records show the Donohues filed articles of organization on Aug. 15. Their company is naturally named Cherokee County LPA, LLC. They did not immediately return messages seeking comment on this report.
“I don’t think there was ever any indication from them that they were going to move out of Murphy or that current location,” DMV spokesperson John Brockwell said when asked if there are plans to move the license plate agency to another location in the county. “It’s going to be in the exact same spot.”
The license plate agency had been under the control of state officials for months following a raid in May that temporarily closed the office. Detectives from the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicle’s License & Theft Bureau issued the former manager, 63-year-old Marlene Mull Revis, two misdemeanor citations accusing her of notarizing documents without the principal appearing in person before her and without evidence of the principal’s identity.
No additional charges have been filed in Cherokee County court, though it’s unclear whether the investigation remains ongoing, as DMV officials declined to comment further on the matter.
Since state officials have relinquished control, the agency will return to the regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, except on state holidays.
License plate agencies offer vehicle registration services, title transactions and license plate renewals or replacements. There are 126 LPAs operating across North Carolina.