Indiana Mustang Owner Nearly Loses Her Car to ‘Legal’ Grand Theft Auto
We’re not one for subversive conspiracy theories but this this car theft scam is the literal definition of nightmare fuel.
It sounds like a nightmare come true: A woman gets a call from a neighbor telling her that her beloved 1986 Mustang convertible is getting hauled away on a flatbed. When she confronts the tow driver, he says that the car has been sold to a scrapyard – by someone claiming to be the owner. It sounds too crazy to be true, except it happened to Shelby and Trent Edwards of Decatur Township, Indiana thanks to a bizarre loophole in the state’s law.
First reported by RTV6, the ABC affiliate out of Indianapolis, the trouble started when some wannabe car thief photographed herself with Edwards’ car, wrote down the VIN and her address, and looking to make a few hundred bucks, called Midtown Recycling of Indianapolis. From the news report, according to Indiana law: “… a salvage automotive recycler can buy a car without a title if:
1. The vehicle is at least 15 model years old;
2. It’s being sold for scrap purposes;
3. A record of the transaction is made.”
In short, the crooks pocket the cash, the scrapyard is legally in the clear, and the buyer is out a car. Legal grand theft auto.
A happy ending – for now
At first, the tow driver refused to back down. Luckily for Edwards, the police were called, and after producing her ID, title, and registration, the cops eventually made the tow driver release the car. To us, it’s crazy that the driver pushed back at all, but we’re just glad the pony car is back where it belongs.
And with good cause; the ‘Stang, known as Clive, is being gifted to Shelby’s brother as his first car. We love it when Fox Bodies (especially convertibles) are kept in the family. It would’ve been tragic if some scumbags kept that from happening just to make a few bucks. What’s more, Midtown Recycling is now taking more screening precautions on incoming cars.
So all’s well that ends well here. Having scrapped a few cars in our day, it’s shocking to us that Indiana doesn’t have proof-of-ownership laws on the books. Here’s hoping that state lawmakers in Indianapolis change that fast – before more people get ripped off.
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