Did You Hear About the Texas Man Arrested for Stealing His Own Truck?

A guy in Jasper County, Texas was arrested for driving his own car off the lot of a repair shop.

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Here's what Texas law has to say about this situation, plus some tips on what to do instead.

Although it sounds like he was actually stealing his own car, it was more like theft of service. According to the Jasper County Sheriff's Offices' Facebook page, the owner of the vehicle took his vehicle in to get services at Weaver Motors Inc. of Kirbyville. On Friday, September 2, the Jasper County Sheriff's Office got a call from the dealership that the vehicle was missing from their property.

Upon further investigation, it turns out the owner of the car, a 40 year old male, had taken his vehicle but had not paid for the service hence, stealing his own car, so to speak.

Arrest Made

The Texas Department of Public Safety - Southeast Texas Region conducted a traffic stop on September 6 on the vehicle and the owner was arrested for Theft of Service >=$2500<$30K, a state jail felony.

Can You Steal Your Own Car?

In this situation, yes. According to Texas Law Help, "A mechanic has the legal right to keep your car until you pay for the repairs and to charge you for storage while waiting for payment."  

If there is a dispute with the work that is done, the owner is to voice his or her concerns, pay for the work, then take the vehicle to a different mechanic. The point is, there's a process. You can't just show up and take your car without paying for it otherwise it's considers theft, as this guy found out.

So, can you steal your own car, apparently the answer is yes. Now you know.