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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Posts
    1

    Default Bought a Possibly Stolen Trailer in Missouri

    My question involves criminal law for the state of: Missouri

    Hello.

    I was stopped by a sheriff in Missouri for being on a store lot late at night. It's stupid, I know, but when I can't sleep I drive around and end up in home improvement parking lots staring at displays and daydreaming about what I want to do to my home. Anyway, I was towing a little trailer behind my car, and had been using the trailer for family purposes for a few days and intended to use it for a few more days.

    It turns out that the VIN was a sticker and had been peeled off. Also, a trailer just like mine had been stolen from the very store I was at. And the cuffs went on. The officer asked me where I bought the trailer and I panicked and said I bought it at a different home improvement store when in reality I bought it online.

    Then, the key on my key chain that goes to the cable lock I got free with my trailer fit other cable locks on the lot. The Store Manager was called down, and I was constantly asked who I was in league with who worked at the store. As far as I know, I don't know anyone who works there. "Inside job" kept being said.

    I was arrested. My car and trailer were impounded. My home was searched. My bond was $3,500, and I was charged with "possession of equipment with altered ID." The officer either told me, or I overheard that there's a manufacturer's ID# on the trailer, and if the trailer was from that store then I'm SOL.

    I'm 28, male, and have never been in trouble before, aside from the occasional speeding ticket. I can get my car out of impound tomorrow at, what's to me, a hefty sum, but the trailer stays as evidence. If the trailer is stolen, what might happen to me? Jail? Fines? Both? Is it considered a felony? If it isn't stolen, I won't be able to afford the impound fees, which will probably be worth more than the trailer.

    I'm pretty scared about all this, and keep I feeling ill when I think about it. I'm going to try and hire an attorney, if I can afford it. If not...I don't know what. Any and all advice is very much appreciated! Sorry for such a long post.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Posts
    853

    Default Re: Possibly Bought a Stolen Trailer in Missouri

    Depends. Can you prove that you bought it, and who you bought it from?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Behind a Desk
    Posts
    98,846

    Default Re: Possibly Bought a Stolen Trailer in Missouri

    So far....

    • You were caught, after hours, in a Home Depot parking lot with a trailer identical to those used by Home Depot, with the VIN sticker removed.
    • You also had a master key to all Home Depot trailers.
    • An identical trailer had been stolen from that very store.
    • When asked by the police about where you got the trailer, you lied.


    The lie hurts you. A lot. I suggest getting a lawyer.

    Meanwhile, you had best start collecting evidence of the "online" purchase, including the ad for the trailer, contact information for the seller, proof of payment, and information about how you retrieved the trailer from the seller (and what he looked like).

    If I were to take a more prosecutorial position, that you're not being completely honest with us, you may also have the option of trying to negotiate a better plea bargain by turning over your accomplice - but that's something to discuss with your lawyer.

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