By Nathan Hardin
nhardin@salisburypost.com
CHINA GROVE — A Kannapolis man accused of taking his cousin’s car and selling it for scrap was arrested Saturday on six fraud charges.
According to a Rowan County Sheriff’s Office report, Jancinia Givens and Bobby Patterson contacted authorities after finding their vehicles had also been sold to C&D Salvage at 645 Lentz Road without their permission.
The Post reported Oct. 26 that authorities were searching for Darrell Witherspoon after his cousin, Don Witherspoon, reported that he had let Darrell take it for repairs. About a week later, Don got a call, according to the report, that his car was at a salvage yard on Lentz Road.
Givens, Patterson and Don Witherspoon told deputies that Darrell Witherspoon claimed to be repairing their vehicles at a garage in Charlotte.
The report said Witherspoon instead took the vehicles to the Lentz Road salvage yard and sold them for scrap.
After being contacted, officers identified the victims’ vehicles at the salvage yard by their vehicle identification numbers.
Givens told authorities Witherspoon approached her and said he had a contract with the MTV show “Pimp My Ride” and needed older cars to fix up for the show, the report said.
According to MTV’s website, the original U.S. version of the show stopped airing in 2007. The show took older vehicles and restored them, often with customized features.
According to deputies, Givens allowed Witherspoon to pick up a 1989 Chevrolet Caprice, a 1988 Chevrolet passenger vehicle and a Honda Accord.
The two Chevrolet vehicles were found at the salvage yard, the report said. The Honda had not been accounted for on Tuesday.
Darrell Witherspoon was charged on Saturday with six counts of felony obtaining property by false pretense.
He was released after posting a $500 bond.