Stolen Car Turns Up Twenty Years Later On The Internet
from the well,-look-at-that... dept
Some things you just don't expect. If your car was stolen in 1983, you probably have given up hope by now that you'll ever see it again. But, you should never doubt the power of the internet. A man who had his 1968 Mercury Cougar stolen in 1983 is getting the car back, thanks to the internet. Someone posted a classified ad trying to sell the car, and while investigating the background of the car, someone figured out that the car had been stolen and informed the rightful owner - suggesting he buy the car. However, the true owner was still in possession of all the paperwork saying that he's the rightful owner of the car, and therefore shouldn't have to pay to recover his own car. Meanwhile, the guy who had it has been arrested for "possession of stolen property" - though, he says the car was a gift from his father. Over the course of twenty years, I imagine the car could have shifted hands a few times.
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This happens often without the internet...
By the time he had the car, it had gone through 3 owners before it got to him. It had a registration from the DMV and everything.
He was released and cleared AFTER spending almost a day in the city jail. Not a fun experience for someone who has never been in such truoble in the past.
So yes this does happen. Its really silly in my opinion even for the police to arrest people once a car has passed through multiple hands.
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The certificate of title is the proof of ownership.
Prior to 1973, some states, including New York, were "non-title" states. They did not issue certificates of title at all, and proof of legal ownership was the owner's responsibility. You had to keep all of the bills of sale back to whenever the car was sold by someone with a title, or all the way back to the factory.
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Strict liability offense
I don't know that the property having gone through a few hands has any bearing on whether a person knew it was stolen. Maybe the price was too good, or you were dealing with someone of bad character. Anyhow, just tack that on to the strict liability offense, and you see why the police would be perfectly rational in making an arrest.
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www.auto-theft.info has more on this
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car stolen by someone I know and I can't get it ba
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