Police: Couple steals vehicle from EC car dealership
Nov. 2—EAU CLAIRE — A couple stole a vehicle from an Eau Claire car dealership shortly after an employee left the business, police say.
Jason W. Fleming, 48, and Christina M. Schaffer, 50, both of 3626 Seymour Road, were each charged Monday in Eau Claire County Court with a felony count of driving or operating a vehicle without the owner's consent and a misdemeanor count of theft.
Schaffer is also charged with a misdemeanor count of bail jumping.
Fleming and Schaffer are each free on $1,500 signature bonds, which prohibit them from having contact with North Trail Auto Sales.
Schaffer and Fleming return to court on November 8 and December 8, respectively.
According to the criminal complaint:
An employee at North Trail Auto Sales, 3101 N. Hastings Way, told Eau Claire police she was cleaning a car around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. She then went home.
When she returned to the business sometime after 5 p.m., the car was gone. She assumed her brother had gotten to the business and moved it.
But after talking with her brother and watching the security video, the woman came to the conclusion that the vehicle was stolen.
The surveillance video showed a man and woman peering into the business at 4:42 p.m. They then walked toward the car. The woman headed toward the driver's side while the man went to the passenger side.
The video cuts out for a short time. When the video returns at 6 p.m., the car is gone.
Two police officers recognized the man and woman in the surveillance video as Fleming and Schaffer.
The stolen vehicle was worth about $2,500.
On Saturday, Eau Claire police learned that Schaffer and Fleming had turned themselves in to Chippewa Falls police along with the stolen vehicle.
Schaffer and Fleming had provided full confessions to Chippewa Falls police and were completing written statements.
Fleming and Schaffer said the reason they took the vehicle was because they did not have enough money to pay for a rental vehicle.
Schaffer was free on a signature bond for a pending misdemeanor case in Chippewa County. A condition of the bond prohibited her from committing new crimes.
If convicted of the felony charge, Fleming and Schaffer could each be sentenced to up to 18 months in prison.
