Pocatello man sentenced after saying he was involved in a crash with a deer
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POCATELLO — A man who filed a $4,000 insurance claim saying a deer damaged his truck has pleaded guilty to insurance fraud.
Travis Darrell Gentry, 42, pleaded guilty to one felony count of insurance fraud after reaching a plea deal with the Bannock County Prosecutor’s Office. In exchange, three additional counts of the same charge were dismissed.
At a hearing Monday, Gentry was ordered to serve three years of felony probation by District Judge Rick Carnaroli, court records show.
Gentry purchased a black 2014 Ford F150 via online auction in June 2022, according to an affidavit of probable cause. He then acquired insurance on the truck on July 1.
On or around July 12, he filed a claim with his insurance provider.
In the claim, Gentry said a deer ran into the bed of his truck, causing damage to the bed and bumper. He said he had already received a quote for the cost to replace both — around $4,000 — in the claim, which he filed online. He said the incident occurred July 11.
Two days later, he filed a second claim, providing a similar story but saying that the incident occurred on July 13 — a day after the initial claim was filed.
When he spoke with a claims adjuster, Gentry allegedly said he made the second claim in error and wished to cancel it. He also said the damage occurred after he purchased the truck — denying there to be any damage to the truck at the time he made the purchase.
On Aug. 21, 2022, a second claims adjuster spoke with Gentry, who said the damage occurred July 13 — the date included the second claim, which he earlier said was made in error. Again, according to the affidavit, he said the damage occurred after the truck was purchased and that the truck had no damage at the time of purchase.
Gentry spoke with a third claims adjuster on Sept. 23, 2022. During that conversation, he again stated that the second claim was made in error and that the damage occurred on July 11.
When the adjuster said that the company’s concern was that the damage existed at the time of his purchase, Gentry again stated that, aside from “normal wear and tear,” the truck was in good condition when he purchased it.
Insurance investigators spoke with Gentry in-person on Jan. 11, 2023. During their conversation, Gentry told the investigators that the insurance company was trying to claim the damage occurred before his purchase of the truck, which, he said, was incorrect. He then clarified.
“There was some damage there already. I am not going to buffalo you,” Gentry said according to the affidavit.
Asked if the damage was worse after the truck was hit by a deer, Gentry allegedly said it was not. He then told the investigators that he told the adjusters about the existing damage when he filed the claim.
During the course of their investigation, the investigators discovered that the auction site where Gentry purchased the truck still had the truck listed, with photographs of the truck. Among those photographs, investigators found the damage Gentry reported as being cause by the deer-strike.
In addition to probation, Carnaroli, who suspended a prison sentence of one to three years, ordered Gentry to complete 40 hours of community service. Gentry had also been ordered to pay $1,199.50 in fees and fines.