Grand Theft Auto: Niceville man busted trying to sell stolen car to unsuspecting victim
(Pictured above: Irvin Arias Marquez, Image credit: OCSO)
On May 23, officials with Florida’s Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) announced that a traffic stop conducted by OCSO deputies led to the arrest of a Niceville man driving a stolen car that he was about sell to an unsuspecting victim.
Deputies responded to a tip on May 21 from a man attempting to buy a Honda CRV for sale on Facebook Marketplace. The buyer became suspicious because photos showed the VIN (vehicle identification number) was smeared.
On Friday morning, May 23, a patrol deputy spotted the car heading south on North Beal Extension north of Fort Walton Beach. A roadside investigation led to the discovery of an insurance card with the vehicle’s VIN number. That number revealed the CRV was stolen out of New York. The attached license also had not been assigned to that vehicle.
Once the driver was taken to booking, deputies began trying to confirm his identity due to getting conflicting information from him verbally versus information on a Florida driver’s license.
Eventually, the culprit, identified as 27-year-old Irvin Arias Marquez was charged with:
- grand theft auto,
- license attached not assigned,
- driving with a suspended license habitual offender,
- failure to register a motor vehicle, and,
- providing false information on a driver’s license application.
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(Source and images: OCSO)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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