Idaho Falls man charged with grand theft for allegedly stealing $100K truck from dealership
Published at | Updated at
IDAHO FALLS — A 54-year-old man is facing grand theft charges after police say he walked into a car dealership and drove away with a 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor, valued at $100,000.
According to court documents, the owner of a local dealership contacted deputies with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office on July 3 after the truck was taken from the lot.
The owner explained that a man, later identified as Christian Devorin Osterhoid, walked into the dealership and told a new employee he was there to pick up the Ford, which he claimed was on consignment.
The employee did not verify Ford’s ownership, copied Osterhoid’s identification, and gave him the keys, according to the police report.
Using Osterhoid’s information, investigators went to his residence and saw the Ford parked outside his apartment unit with Idaho license plates.
When investigators spoke to Osterhoid, they said he claimed that the truck was a payout from the dealership. He told them the company owed him $100,000 from a cryptocurrency transaction, court documents say.
Once he got the keys, Osterhoid told investigators he paid a $150 administrative fee. But the court documents say he had no documentation proving he owned the Ford.
Regarding the plates, investigators say Osterhoid told them he was planning to trade in a different vehicle and placed the plates from that car onto the Ford. He later told them he hadn’t had time to go to the DMV to register the Ford, according to the documents.
Osterhoid was placed under arrest and charged with felony grand theft through receiving, retaining or concealing stolen property.
He is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing before Magistrate Judge Wiley Dennert at 1 p.m. on July 28.
EastIdahoNews.com has reached out to Osterhoid’s defense attorney, Benjamin Mason, for a comment, but has not heard back. We will update the story if we hear back.
Though Osterhoid has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
If he is found guilty, he faces up to 14 years in prison, or a $5,000 fine, and restitution.