Florida man who reported his car stolen is charged with insurance fraud after it was found in a canal with a large rock by the accelerator and the steering wheel tied
A Florida man who reported his car stolen three years ago has been charged with insurance fraud after it was found in a canal with a large rock by the accelerator and the steering wheel tied.
Shawn Barnes, 28, is accused of deliberately sinking his 2015 Fiat 500 and filing a stolen vehicle complaint with police in Bunnell, Flagler County, in 2017 so he could make a false claim on his insurance.
Barnes was arrested Wednesday following a tip-off from someone who said they were with the suspect when he intentionally launched the car into the water.
The missing Fiat 500 was dredged from the bottom of the canal by authorities last month.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office said Barnes called deputies on December 30 2017 to report his car had been stolen overnight from his driveway in Bunnell.
Barnes told cops at the time that he had left the keys inside the car and the doors unlocked.
He admitted he was not up to date with the payments on the vehicle but that the lien holder confirmed it had not been repossessed.
Authorities launched a 'be on the look out' alert for the car but it was never found.
The net closed in on the alleged fraud earlier this year when a witness contacted the sheriff's office in August and claimed Barnes was responsible for the car's disappearance.
Authorities said the witness revealed they were with Barnes on December 29 2017 when he deliberately submerged the vehicle.
The suspect allegedly put a rock on the accelerator to send it into the water and told the witness he was doing it so he could make a false insurance claim.
'The witness stated that on December 29, 2017, Barnes and the witness were traveling together in the Fiat 500,' the sheriff's office said, reported Click Orlando.
'Barnes drove the vehicle to a boat ramp in Putnam County where Barnes placed a rock on the accelerator and launched the car off a bulkhead next to the boat ramp into the canal where it sank to the bottom.'
The missing Fiat 500 was dredged from the bottom of the canal by Putnam County Sheriff's Office Dive Teams and the Flagler County Sheriff's Office last month
The sheriff's office and Putnam County Sheriff's Office Dive Teams investigated the claims and managed to locate the missing car in the canal in October.
When it was pulled from the water, the keys were still in the ignition, the gear was in drive, the steering wheel was tied off to a fixture and there was a large rock by the pedals on the floorboard of the driver's seat, authorities said.
Another source then reached out to the authorities last week and said narcotics played a part in Barnes' actions, reported Palm Coast Observer.
Sheriff Rick Staly praised the witness to the sinking for coming forward to solve the crime.
'This is another great example of how guardianship policing works to solve crimes,' said Staly.
He was booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility (above) but was later released after posting $3,000 bond
'This witness gave vital information to our investigators and we were able to locate the vehicle and put this guy behind bars where he belongs.
'Criminal acts like this cause all our insurance rates to go up. We'd like to again thank the Putnam County Sheriff's Office for their assistance in retrieving the vehicle.'
Barnes was arrested Wednesday and charged with making a false and fraudulent insurance claim.
He was booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility but was later released after posting $3,000 bond.
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