Magazine Salesman Arrested in Van Buren

It's illegal to solicit door-to-door in Van Buren - a law a magazine salesman had to learn the hard way on Sunday.

Van Buren Police arrested Austin Currier from Albion, Pennsylvania for loitering and soliciting without a permit.

Detective Jonathan Wear says that the police department had received multiple complaints about Currier on Sunday afternoon and that Currier was going door-to-door selling books and magazines. 

Police say Currier had been stopped earlier in the day and was given a warning. He was told that it was illegal to solicit door to door in Van Buren without a permit. 

Detective Wear says that Currier ignored the warning and continued to go door-to-door selling magazines, and after receiving yet another complaint about Currier, police made contact with him at 11^th and Lincoln where he was arrested for violating the ordinance and state loitering statute. 

Austin Currier was booked into the Crawford County Detention Center on misdemeanor charges of Soliciting without a permit (City ordinance) and Loitering (State Statute).

According to Van Buren city ordinance, soliciting must be done between the hours of 8:00am and 9:00pm Monday through Saturday with a permit.  Soliciting cannot be done at any time on Sunday.  The solicitor must leave if asked by the homeowner.  Soliciting cannot be done in the business district, and the solicitor must identify himself and the business he/she is soliciting for.  The penalty for violating the ordinance is a fine of up to $200.00.