A 24-year-old Peekskill man is facing a felony charge for stealing a disabled car from a parking lot and having it towed to a scrap yard, Yorktown police said.
John Simmons acted as the owner of the vehicle when he called a towing company and had it sold for scrap at a local scrap yard, police said. But by the time the car was found, it was beyond recognition or repair, police said in a statement.
Simmons was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny, a felony.
The actual vehicle owner reported to police on Nov. 19 that his car had broken down the previous week at the Dunkin Donuts/BJ's Wholesale Warehouse. He told police he left it there and returned to his vehicle several times throughout the week to make repairs. When he returned on Nov. 18, he discovered his car was gone.
Detective Sean Lewis was assigned to investigate the incident. He determined the car had been stolen, towed to a nearby scrap yard and crushed, police said.
When Simmons learned that police were looking for him, he voluntarily turned himself over on Dec. 3. He was released and scheduled to appear in Yorktown Town Court on Jan. 8, 2013.
Police are continuing to investigate the incident.
