Facebook Marketplace Meet-Up Goes Wrong in Lawrence County

A local Facebook Marketplace meetup goes south when the owner realizes he is being scammed. After communicating on Messenger, a Lawrence County resident decided to sell his Razor ATV to a man from Mississippi. The arranged meeting location was at CenterPoint United Methodist Church where the first suspicion occurred after viewing the offender’s driver license, which appeared to be altered. The buyer, who also was accompanied by two others, asked to take the ATV for a ride before buying and gave the seller a cashier’s check.

The seller then contacted his neighbor, who is an investigator, to come and assist because he believed they were trying to steal the razor.

The offender, at high speed, loaded the ATV to the trailer and began to leave the premise in the truck. After getting in contact with the driver, they turned around back to the original location. Two of the passengers exited the truck, while one remained to leave once again. The two passengers were then detained until law enforcement could arrive. A BOLO was then released for the razor that was stolen and soon located in Loretto with the key missing and an extra ATV tire.

A warrant was made for both subjects for Theft over $1,000 and they were both transported to Lawrence County Jail. A BOLO was then set for the other offender, who fled the scene for the second time, with a warrant for Theft over $1,000, Forgery and Worthless Checks. The offender’s vehicle was soon located near Luncford Road and confirmed by the victim with a fake license plate taped over the legitimate one. The vehicle and stolen tire were taken to an In-Tow service and all evidence found, a phone and license plate, was logged into evidence. The offender was not found at the scene for recovery of the vehicles. An investigation is still open at this time.