Man repairs vehicle and sells it without permission

A Sallisaw man has been charged with felony embezzlement after he reportedly tried to sell another man‚s car that he repaired.

Steven O. Daniels, 38, was charged Oct. 19 in Sequoyah County District Court and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest the same day, according to court records. He is now set for a Nov. 2 arraignment before Associate District Judge Kyle Waters.

Sallisaw Police officer Joe Lufkin took a stolen vehicle report from a reporting party at the police department. The reporting party said they hit a bird with their 2009 Dodge Charger and asked Daniels, whom he has done work for before, to repair the damaged front bumper.

The reporting party said he released the vehicle to Daniels for repairs and was offered a trade while repairs were being made. He said the reporting party stated he might consider it after the vehicle was repaired.

The reporting party said several weeks later while at another mechanic shop Daniels pulled up with a vehicle, wanting to trade and get the title to the Charger. The reporting party claimed he looked at the vehicle but told Daniels he didn‚t want to trade because the vehicle was running bad and needed to be fixed. He also said he didn‚t want to trade a perfectly good car that runs with a bad bumper, for one that didn‚t run properly and would like his car returned.

The reporting party said on Sept. 26 he hadn‚t heard from Daniels in some time so he went to get the Charger back. Daniels claimed he‚d taken it to a car dealership in Arkansas and gave it to them. Daniels then called the dealership and was told they‚d sold it. The reporting party said he didn‚t give Daniels consent to resale the vehicle or take it out of state, nor did he give the title to Daniels, according to the probable cause affidavit.

The next day, the deputy spoke to Daniels via phone and he agreed to meet and speak with him at the police department. According to Daniels, the reporting party never gave the Charger to him to repair. Instead, he said they verbally agreed to trade the Charger for a Chrysler that Daniels was working on.

Daniels said he got the Charger from the reporting party at his residence, and then the reporting party allegedly removed the vehicle‚s license plate. Daniels said he gave the Chrysler‚s paperwork to the reporting party, fixed the bumper on the Charger and then took it to the dealership in Arkansas. However, Daniels couldn‚t provide the phone number to the dealership and claimed all communication was through messenger.

Daniels said he was waiting on the title from the reporting party so he could turn it over to the dealership, because he only had 30 days to do so. He said he‚d been working on the Chrysler that he and the reporting party had traded for. When asked if he‚d fill out a statement, Daniels asked if he could take it home to do so but never returned it.

The reporting party said Daniels never provided him with any paperwork for the Chrysler because they‚d never agreed to trade, and that he never removed the license plate when he released the vehicle.

On Oct. 3, the officer said he received a call from Daniels, stating he had possession of the vehicle and would be returning it. Lufkin told him to bring the car to the police department and Daniels told him he‚d really like to get the paperwork for the Chrysler before returning his vehicle.

A few hours later Daniels brought the car to the police department where the VIN number was checked and matched that of the Charger. When asked about a key, Daniels said he didn‚t have one and the people who‚d purchased it from the dealership probably had it. He also said the dealership didn‚t want the car on their property since it was entered as a stolen vehicle.

According to the affidavit, Daniels had previously told the officer the dealership received the car back from the people who purchased it and refunded their money.

Daniels then told officers he would get the key and walked towards his truck, where he removed the cover of the door pillar and produced the key. He reportedly admitted he didn‚t want to give the key up until he received the paperwork to the Chrysler. Daniels was told he‚d have to make a civil case for the paperwork because they couldn‚t prove the reporting party has it or that Daniels gave it to him, according to the affidavit. Daniels then left the police department and the reporting party was allowed to pick up the vehicle.

On Oct. 4 Lufkin reported he‚d tried to make contact with the reporting party to ensure everything was fine with the vehicle but had no success in contacting him. District Attorney Jack Thorp said if found guilty, the crime is punishable by imprisonment in the State Penitentiary for up to five years and a fine not to exceed $5,000, and restitution.