A West Virginia man has been arrested on a Polk County warrant of fraudulently obtaining a $63,200 Corvette from Kelley Buick GMC in Bartow in March 2017.
Mercer County, West Virginia, deputies arrested 31-year-old Jake Ernest Boswell Jr., on March 13 for grand theft (F-3), obtaining a vehicle by fraud (F-3), and worthless check (F-3).
According to the affidavit, on March 20, 2017, Boswell purchased the black 2015 Corvette from the dealership for $63,703, after writing a $6,000 check for a down payment on his business account "J&J Paving and Asphalt, LLC." Boswell agreed to finance the remaining amount, $57,703, through Ally Financial. Boswell showed the dealership his West Virginia driver license and the bank from which the check he wrote was a First Century Bank of Princeton, West Virginia, account.
After the purchase, Boswell loaded the Corvette onto a trailer and left, according to the affidavit. On March 28, Kelley Buick GMC was notified the check Boswell wrote had a stop payment placed on it by Boswell on March 24. A Kelley employee called Boswell, who told him the car had mechanical issues so he stopped payment on the check. When the employee reminded him the car was under warranty and he should bring it in to be serviced, but that they still needed the $6,000 that was owed to them, Boswell became uncooperative, and they were unable to reach him again.
An investigative subpoena was served to the suspect's bank in West Virginia, which revealed the suspect had only $2094.65 in his account when he wrote the check. It also revealed the day the stop payment was placed on the check, he had only $3128.83 in his account. This amount is far less than the check written to the victim for $6000.00.
Boswell was booked into the West Virginia Regional Jail & Correctional facility in Charleston, West Virginia, after his arrest, and he will be extradited to Polk County at a later day.