OMAHA, Neb. – Police have arrested three executives from a troubled western Nebraska car dealership where 81 vehicles worth roughly $2.5 million — as well as the executives themselves — vanished in recent days.
Legacy Auto Sales owner Allen Patch, 52, and controller Rachel Fait, 37, were arrested separately in Tooele County, Utah, and were being held Thursday at the county jail. The dealership's 53-year-old general manager, Rick Covello, was driving one of the missing vehicles when he turned himself in to Scottsbluff police Thursday morning, Capt. Kevin Spencer said.
An arrest warrant affidavit said Fait may have embezzled more than $46,000 from the dealership in Scottsbluff, a western Nebraska town. The three were wanted on suspicion of theft.
About two dozen vehicles missing from the dealership were traced to Salt Lake City, and most of 16 cars taken to a Salt Lake auction had been sold to about 10 dealerships. Six others were found at the Scottsbluff airport, one was found at a Wal-Mart parking lot in Evanston, Wyo., and the FBI found some of the other vehicles in Las Vegas.
Rob Brasher, the general manager of the Utah auction, said he had no idea the vehicles weren't legitimate and that Toyota officials notified him Tuesday of problems with those cars. He said state officials were helping to contact the dealerships.
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