Saw this over on the DuckusCrapus site. Maybe some HAMBers can help this guy out . . . . Posting this for someone else.... Hello, I need some help. I had a 1955 chevy two door hardtop body stolen from me up in Ponca City by a guy by the name of Jeff Golay, he had a body shop over in Pawhuska called Pawhuska Rod and Customs. That is where he was when he took my 55 body in to finish the body work and the painting. After he got my car he was kicked out of the shop in Pawhuska and moved over to Ponca City, He stayed in contact with me by cell phone up until last Friday and since then there has been no contact. I have made a couple of contacts in Ponca City and found out that Jeff moved to Corpus Christi TX last Saturday. Needless to say I didn't get my car body back, I am not sure if he just went off and left it where he lived, or where he had a shop in Ponca City or if he sold it to someone. After doing a lot of checking I have found out that he has done several people this way. He is nothing but a scum. I was wondering if you would help me see if we can track down the body. Maybe you have some contacts in that area, or maybe some of your members do. Maybe we can get out to word to all the clubs and tract it down, I figure if someone brought it they had to have an interest in old cars. The VIN # on the car is 55A031572. I will be so grateful for any help you can give me, may if we can get the information out to all the car clubs we can find my car. Thanks for taking the time to read this, also would you be so kind to send me back a reply letting me know you got this. My name is Kenneth Lowe I live at 1246 N. Henney Rd here in Choctaw Okla. my phone numbers are : Home 405-390-9157 Cell 405-637-7535
Shit man that sucks. Was the car in the guy's name? Are there any pics of the car? Hopefully we can get a lead on this guy and get the ride back to the owner. Jay
Sorry for your loss. This is a good place to get out the word. I hope the bastard gets caught and drops the soap a lot in prison!
We have to be careful here; If the body was willingly given to the guy to do work on, is this technically a theft? i'm not saying this guy is not wrong/in trouble etc. But it might be more of a civil case vs. a criminal case at this point. i don't know how VIN plates are attached to a 55 body, but do you have paperwork to go with the car and the transaction? Initially, it sounds like the guy has a case of "suicide by other person." Meaning he wants someone to kill him.
Story from Craigslist. 1955 Chevrolet <section id="postingbody"> Reward offered for the return or information leading to the return of 1955 Chevrolet 2 door hardtop body Vin # VC55A051572 that was left in a building in the 400 block of S. Pine in Ponca City Okla. Jeff Golay of Ponca City had the body and was to finish body work and paint. He had a body shop in Pawhuska called Pawhuska Rod and Custom when he took on the job. He was evicted from that shop and moved my car over to the building on S. Pine in Ponca City Okla. From what I have found out so far he was renting the building on S. Pine and was evicted for non payment of rent. When he left the building he left my 55 Chevy body in the building. I talked to the owner of building and he informed me that someone had removed the car body from the building after Jeff left it there. But that is all the information he could give me. It was only the body consisting of main body, doors, fenders, hood and trunk lid. Everything was stripped out of the body because I was doing a frame off restoration. If you know where this body is located or who I might contact about it would you please contact me @ 405-390-9157 home, 405-637-7535 or email me or text me. The building on S. Pine is now used as a Radiator shop, it is next door to Motor Cycle Club. Kenny Lowe </section> http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/pts/3640183550.html
At the very least the first guy is responsible. He had it in his possession and as such had to take care to make sure nothing happened to it. Just like if you loaned a car to someone and they wrecked it or never gave it back to you. I would be down at the local police station filling out a theft/fraud report. Don
If its not in his name there isn't much he can do about it. If it was in his name...he just has to report it stolen.
Better call a few lawyers. Also, the property owner might not be criminally responsible if the car was stolen by someone else besides the evicted tenant (do we know for sure at this point?), then s/he might be civilly responsible? Could have taken reasonable measures to locate the owner but didn't or had it removed by a towing company, this way it would be in safekeeping?
Exactly what he said. This prick knows where the car went. A call from a lawyer and the car may show up in your driveway.
I'd also suggest checking with the nearby businesses to see if they saw it leave and by what means. Car bodys don't just get hand tossed into pickup trucks.
Yeah, file a police report for the stolen 55, including the details from the landlord. Let the police interview the landlord. Maybe he'll cough up some info.
Landlord is the key! Original guy might claim some sort of mechanics lein and gift the car to the landlord for rent due. g
Could be that some local found out that the guy bailed and left the car behind and decided to go make off with the "abandoned" car too. I'd still bet that the landlord knows more than he is telling.
Post us some pics and i'll keep an ear to the ground here in the Tulsa area. I am a restoration guy, so I hear about a lot of cars for sale, needing restored, etc. Someone asked if it was really theft...Speaking from a shop owner's perspective, yes, it is definitely theft if the car is kept from you against your will, provided you didnt owe a balance against it. If the car was left on site, then the liability for the car's where-abouts falls to the landlord. If the renter was evicted, then the landlord would have locked the property to keep the tennant out. If the car was there after the tennent left for good then care of the car was the landlord's responsibility. Legally he has a responsibility to address items like the car, which cannot legally be confiscated for back rent as they were not the tennant's property. Personally, I dont buy the landlord's "someone" took it out story...if it was locked then he should know who had access. the next questions you need to ask are: 1. who had access to the building (and if he says that he doesnt know) (if someone broke in) then next question... 2. Have you (Mr landlord) filed a report for the break-in. 3. You (Mr landlord) were aware that my car was there before the break-in, so did you include it in the police report? (there is a police report, isnt there Mr landlord?) 4. (mr landlord) i'm going to need a copy of the police report number do NOTE that if there is a police report then make sure that your car appears on it. You can add info to the file with the police...Mr landlord doesnt have to do it for you I think that you're going to find that there is no police report. Bet his story starts to fill up with holes. My suspicion would be that the landlord saw a way to get some of his lost rent back, and has squirrelled the car away or sold it off. but, that is just my .02 If there is no police report then you need to file one. tell em. Landlord says it was there but is not now, and landlord has access to the building but tennant does not, etc etc. Either way, man, i hope you get it back, and if youre not too gun-shy, come see ol Brandon here in Tulsa, I'll take care of you. I give a 25% labor discount to HAMBers!
I talked to landlord, all he will say is someone broke into the building after the body shop guy left it there and took the car body. From what he has told me he did not file a report with the police. I have been in contact with the police, they want me to give the body shop guy time to find it before they file anything. And they have told me no report was made by the building owner. The building owner isn't giving me much to go on. I did get a call from a guy that he had contacted to go get the car and that guy told me that when they went to the building that is when they found the back door lock had been cut and that the car was gone. He said they think the body guy came back and got it. I have been in contact with the body guy and he is telling me he didn't go back and get it. He says that he is trying to locate it for me., but with all the lies he has told me I don't trust him to even be doing that. Figure he is just trying to buy time. After some of the advice I have received here I am going to go after the building owner. Have a call into the police as I am typing this. Thanks again for all the advise and please spread the word about my car, thanks Kenny
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