After working on a woman's vehicle for six months, the mechanic reportedly scrapped it and told her he did not know where it was.
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OKEECHOBEE - A local man was charged with grand theft auto after a truck he was supposed to be repairing was sold to a scrap yard.
Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Deputy Marc Williams responded to a home on Northwest Fourth Street in reference to a theft complaint on Dec. 3.
When Williams arrived, he spoke with a woman who told him Charles Beauchamp, 44, had been working on her truck for six months. She said the truck was not working, and she had it towed to his home on Southeast 35th Avenue, where the work was to be completed. She said he told her the truck needed a new motor and his boss had one he could sell her. She told him to go ahead and put the motor in, and she would pay for it.
Some time later, he reportedly called and asked to meet her so they could talk, and she agreed to meet him at Walmart. She said he told her he had a car he wanted to sell her since she needed a vehicle, and she asked where her truck was. His reply was that he did not know where the truck was. She asked him multiple times where the truck was, without receiving an answer, and finally called the sheriff’s office to report it stolen.
When Williams spoke to Beauchamp, Beauchamp reportedly told him he had been working on the truck. Originally, he found that the timing chains on the motor were damaged and the motor needed to be rebuilt. After purchasing a motor from his boss, he discovered more work needed to be done, and because she has limited income, he offered to sell her a car.
He offered to take $1,000 off for the truck and $200 per month in payments until it was paid off. He claimed she agreed to this deal, and he scrapped the truck. Williams asked him if he had anything in writing, but he did not.
When Williams spoke with Beauchamp’s boss, he learned Beauchamp had been working on the truck at his place of business for about six months. He was also told Beauchamp sold the transmission from the truck to a business partner and then told his boss he was selling the woman a car, and they could scrap the truck.
Beauchamp was charged with grand theft auto on Jan. 24. Kackley, 44, was charged with giving false information to the scrap yard. Both bonds were set at $5,000.
