Email
Print
Authorities: Mechanic sold vehicles illegally
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: September 4, 2009
When Denny Eagle handed the keys to his 1987 Mazda truck to Todd Lipe two months ago, he never expected to lose his vehicle.
Eagle, owner of Eagle Electric Co., is still reeling from the destruction of the truck after it spent two months at Lipe's Performance Automotive garage at 256 Clontz Hill Road in Troutman.
He spent two months raising money to pay for a vehicle that seemed to have one problem after another.
"I called him a week ago, and he said he sold it, but he would try to get it back for me," Eagle said. "I've never been presented a bill."
It was too late. Eagle's truck was sold without his consent to a salvage yard and destroyed, he said.
Lipe was arrested and charged with five felonies this week after Iredell County Sheriff's Office deputies and investigators determined that Lipe unlawfully sold Eagle's truck and a 1993 Dodge Van.
He faces three counts of obtaining property by false pretenses and two for larceny of a motor vehicle.
Detective Sgt. Gina Cranford said Lipe told her the number of vehicles on his property was violating a county ordinance and he was in danger of getting fined. He said he tried to contact the two owners, but was unsuccessful.
However, phone records for at least one of the victims showed Lipe didn't try to contact them, Cranford said.
Eagle said he did try to contact him, but only for an additional $125 to buy more parts.
Capt. Darren Campbell said Lipe should have obtained a mechanic's lien against the title to recover costs.
Cranford said the van was sold to a salvage yard and Eagle's truck was sold to an individual who later sold it for scraps.
According to the information the sheriff's office obtained from Stewart's Salvage in Stony Point, a vehicle can be sold without a title if its model year is before 1999.
Cranford said it is nearly a civil case, but the pattern of behavior makes it criminal.
But Lipe's arrest still leaves Eagle without a vehicle, which he said was his livelihood.
"(The truck) would last me another two or three years," he said.
It was ideal for his situation, he said. The truck got 30 miles per gallon and had new tires on it. Now, Eagle is trading a wiring job in exchange for the use of a Chevrolet van, which gets 15 miles to the gallon.
Eagle said he gave Lipe around $760 to repair his truck.
After the first month, he went back and the truck, which originally needed a gasket repair, was still running hot, Eagle said.
"We were waiting to get some more money to get it finished," he said. "He didn't file no papers or nothing."
Lipe said he would work with Eagle on the price when the car was replaced, Eagle said.
Email
Print
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertisement
