Lowlife Who Stole Dead Man’s 911 Pleads Not Guilty
Shop owner remains free on bail despite violating judge’s order.
Just a couple of months ago, we brought you the story of a New York auto shop owner and his “unique” attempt at stealing a dead man’s 1978 911. But as weird as that story was, the follow up might be even stranger. Because the Times Herald-Record is reporting that the thief has not only remained free on bail but that he’s also violated a judge’s order.
These developments happened shortly before Patrick Torpey entered a plea of not guilty to the charges he falsified DMV documentation. Officials claim that Torpey falsified a garageman’s lien after the owner of the Porsche passed away while the car was at Torpey’s shop for repairs.
Torpey was legally required to contact the owner’s spouse so that she would have a chance to settle the bill and get the Porsche back. But he did neither, nor did he sell the car after filing the lien. Instead, he took it home and parked it in his garage until he obtained a new title. It was there that police found the car. Torpey was promptly arrested and charged with multiple felonies including grand larceny and falsifying business records.
RELATED: Shop Owner Hides, Then Steals Dead Man’s Porsche
Torpey remains out on bail, but allegedly blames his girlfriend and her father for his predicament. He’s sent a number of “questionable” text messages to the woman, a potential witness in the case. That prompted a judge to issue an order of protection that bars Torpey from communicating with her. But even after receiving the order, Torpery reportedly sent two more messages, including one that read “make you cry.”
Meanwhile, the sage of one poor 1978 911 and its deceased owner seems destined to drag on indefinitely.
