Man charged for allegedly stealing car after being fired from body shop
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POCATELLO — A man who allegedly took a car from a mechanic shop after he was fired faces a felony charge.
Gary Lynn Michael Hall, 53, is charged with grand theft, court records show.
While on patrol, a Pocatello police officer was stopped by a man and woman on South 2nd Avenue around 1 p.m. March 3, 2022, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The couple told the officer they had taken their 2006 Toyota Scion to a mechanic shop for repair and had just learned a former employee took the Toyota without permission.
While the officer was speaking to the owners of the Toyota, the owner of the business called to report the theft. The business owner told the officer that Hall was hired three days prior to clean the vehicle yard but did not show up for his second day of work and was fired. When he returned, the business owner said, Hall picked up the Toyota and left.
The vehicle’s owner tracked Hall down and took the car back. When he did so, Hall reportedly walked away from the car’s owner saying he did not want to speak with police.
According to the affidavit, the officer was able to get in touch with Hall over the phone. Hall told the officer that the business owner gave the car to him, “as the vehicle was not running properly.”
Officers asked Hall to come to the Pocatello Police Department for questioning. According to the affidavit, he walked into the department roughly 10 minutes later.
Hall was adamant that the business owner had given him permission to take the car, the affidavit says. Hall told police that the shop had been unsuccessful in searching for parts needed for the repair and that the car had been at the shop for over a year.
A criminal complaint regarding the reported theft was field May 25, 2023 and Hall was served a court summons. However, he did not appear in court and a warrant was issued. It was served June 16 and Hall was arrested and taken to Bannock County Jail. He has since posted $5,000 bond and been released.
Though Hall has been charged with this crime, it does not necessarily mean he committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
If he is found guilty, Hall could face up to 14 years in prison.
He is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment hearing Wednesday.