Vehicle Trade Ends With Arrest

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A little internet surfing to find the perfect trade of a truck for a Side by Side or what most call a gator ended with an arrest.  Now, when I received a call concerning a stolen “side by side” I have to admit I was thinking oh my someone stole a refrigerator.  But, as the story was told it ended up being a different side by side or what I call a “big golf cart”.

Magee Police Officer, Chris Jones, was looking to trade a truck for a nice side by side so he began looking on Craigslist.  Officer Jones located one that he was interested in checking out.  He contacted the seller via Craigslist and the correspondence began.  The seller sent Chris the VIN number along with photos of his drivers license, check information, even a letter from the Department of Revenue.  The seller even asked Chris if he was in law enforcement, and Chris told the seller that he is in law enforcement.  The seller still agreed to meet Officer Jones to look at the 2015 LE 900xp Polaris Ranger side by side in Pinola at 9:30pm Saturday evening.  The Seller, a white male, drove up in a red chevy dually truck with no tag and accompanied by a black male and unloaded the side by side. Officer Jones looked the side by side over and even looked at the VIN on the ranger and noticed a different VIN.

Chris, an Off-Duty Officer at the time of the meeting, called the Simpson County Sheriff’s Office to come out and investigate.  Upon running the actual VIN of the side by side by local authorities,  the side by side for sale came back as stolen from Longview, Texas.  The seller now known as Malcolm Corbitt Newell of Brandon was arrested and the vehicle was towed.  Newell has a long history of altering VINs and stolen property, etc.  Information of the black male passenger is unknown at this time.

This is a case of please let me get caught.