STOLEN VAN PLEASE HELP in kingsport tennessee

[ShovelHeadShawn]

i am trying to track down my stolen van. it is a 76 chevrolet g20 short body. maroon with a yellow stripe. has a maroon shag from the 70's with a bed fridge and a sink. it has ET aluminum wheels with almost new tires. the drivers door don't match the paint on the van. it was taken by a man named keith sutton in kingsport tennessee. he was a customer of mine. he was going to buy the van he left a small down payment and was suppose to return saturday and settle up. that was 3 weeks ago. this is my last attempt to contact him before i go to the police. i know he has been on here looking around but i dont know if he is a member. i wish i had a picture to upload but i dont. i know it is a long shot posting it here but any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[RPM]

I'd just call the law. If he has not shown by now he probably won't.

 

[ShovelHeadShawn]

i was trying to give him the benefit of doubt, he has been a customer of mine fore a couple years. but like you said if he hasn't shown by now he's not going to.

 

[donsrods]

Let me understand this, you let him take the van before it was paid in full? Now, don't tell me you gave him the title too.

Don

 

[26Troadster]

i'll keep a eye out for it here in bama.

 

[ShovelHeadShawn]

Let me understand this, you let him take the van before it was paid in full? Now, don't tell me you gave him the title too.

Don

oh no no no. i kept the title, and i have his van that i was working on when the deal was made. but his van is a p.o.s. with no motor or trans.

 

[donsrods]

Good, then if you have the title in your name you should be ok. Just go to the cops and report it missing. I don't know if "stolen" is the correct thing to claim as you let him drive away with it, but he didn't come back to finish the deal, so maybe is does fit into that category.

He won't be able to get plates on it without a title, so how is he driving it? I bet he is using his old plate illegally on the new van. My first call would be to the police in Kingsport and tell them the exact story so you aren't accused of giving false info to a police officer, and see what they say. Have you considered driving over to Kingsport and finding him?

I was watching one of the court tv shows and a girl had her boyfriend arrested because he borrowed her car and failed to return it for a few weeks, so she reported it stolen. They pulled him over during a traffic stop and took his butt to jail. The judge on the tv show said that was the right thing to do, so maybe that will work for you too, if the cops say it is ok.

Good luck..........did you learn a lesson about trusting people?

Don

Oh, here is the Kingsport police info if you need it:

http://police.kingsporttn.gov/

 

[Toad]

Since the van is still in your name, what if he's in a wreck and hurts someone! Having a record with the boys in blue probably wouldn't hurt! Have you driven by where he lives?

Toad

 

[motrhd]

Customer or not, that trust is broken, CALL THE POLICE !!! SAVE YOUR OWN A$$

 

[sgtpontiac]

Could get a bit sticky........

one hitch...in the stolen/ taken without permission....

Some agencies will not even take the report as they consider it a "Civil Matter" as you allowed him to take it and took a down payment..... it could get sticky....just had the same thing happen here....I put it in as stolen / taken without permission...and had the vehicle back in 3 hours....owner went and got it from impound 25 miles from here.....Just want you to know that some agencies won't take a report like that and consider it a civil matter....

 

[donsrods]

That is what I was kinda worried about for him too. I would have been in my car and going to Kingsport already. If the van had illegal plates on it when I found it I would have found the nearest cop, shown him the title, and had the van picked up via wrecker.

I think you are sitting on your hands too much on this one, Bud. Time to get proactive and go get your stuff.

Don

 

[sgtpontiac]

Yeah, if he's got an idea where it's at...

I'd go and get it and have the locals stand by as peace officers while I took it back..just in case....

 

[donsrods]

Me too. He is in a very dangerous spot here and could lose more than the van. If this guy gets in a wreck with a car registered in the original owners name, they will come after you for any damages. God forbid, if he kills someone in a wreck you stand to lose some serious money.

Can't say it any stronger, quit posting stuff and get in your car and head to his house. You are being way too weak in this situation. Not busting your chops, just trying to shake some sense into you.

Don

 

[sgtpontiac]

Hope he kept it insured....

Me too. He is in a very dangerous spot here and could lose more than the van. If this guy gets in a wreck with a car registered in the original owners name, they will come after you for any damages. God forbid, if he kills someone in a wreck you stand to lose some serious money.

Can't say it any stronger, quit posting stuff and get in your car and head to his house. You are being way too weak in this situation. Not busting your chops, just trying to shake some sense into you.

Don

Yeah, it's a tense situation...for sure.....I hope it works out for him...

 

[donsrods]

I had a chance to think about my post when I was driving over to the shop tonight and I apologize to the OP if I came across as rude. It is just that I see so many people get screwed and they wait too long to jump in and do something serious about it. I figured the two towns can't be all that far apart or the guy wouldn't have been buying the van from him in the first place, so a short car trip could put it all to rest.

Another thing I considered is maybe the buyer got sick, is in the hospital, or some family emergency. Probably not, but things do happen. If you jump in your car and pay him a visit you will know either way. I used to be a bill collector and if I lived closer I would love to make the visit for you.

Don