A Coffee County man allegedly decided that a woman being locked up was a good enough reason to sell her car. It wasn’t.
What’s Happening: According to the Coffee County Sheriff, 32-year-old Cameron Blake Spires has been arrested after investigators say he sold a tan 2005 Lexus RX that didn’t belong to him for $700. The car’s owner was sitting in jail at the time and had not given anyone permission to sell it or sign it over.
Under Georgia law, selling someone else’s property as if it were your own is called Theft by Conversion, and it’s the charge Spires now faces.
What’s Important: Detectives didn’t have to work too hard to connect the dots. Witness statements, transaction records, and — perhaps most helpfully — recorded jail phone calls gave investigators enough to establish what happened and who did it. After interviewing Spires, they had what they needed to make an arrest. The Lexus was later recovered during a traffic stop and is being held until it can be returned to its rightful owner or someone she designates to pick it up.
What’s Still Unknown: The investigation remains open, and additional charges against Spires are possible.
How This Affects Real People: Anyone with information can call the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division at 912-384-4227.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
