A Morgan County Sheriff’s Deputy arrested a Hedgesville man last week for allegedly scheming to regain possession of a truck he had sold three months earlier.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Morgan County Magistrate Court, Deputy Jeremy Berkholder responded to a call from a resident on River Road to report a stolen vehicle on December 12.
The caller allegedly observed a vehicle leaving the property unauthorized, followed by a trail of leaking fluid leading to a residence on Edenwood Lane.
Charles A. Kirby, Jr., 40, of Hedgesville reportedly came out of the residence on Edenwood Lane and showed police the vehicle, which was hidden behind the house between some trees. The rear window was freshly broken, and the steering column broken by a screwdriver still on the floorboard, according to the police report.
Kirby allegedly claimed the truck was his, but he had no keys. He produced a duplicate title made on December 11.
He is accused of fraudulently attempting to regain possession of the truck after it was sold by going to the DMV to acquire a duplicate title and then trespassing to take the truck.
The new owner’s family produced the original title that was signed over and a hand-written bill of sale for $2,000 dated September 1.
Kirby was arrested and charged with grand larceny. He was released on bail and is awaiting a hearing in the matter.
