SOURCE: ABC News
A pair of car thieves from Houston decided to fly to Nashville, rent a brand new Chevy Suburban SUV and then list it out on Craigslist to see if they could sell it. Within 48 hours, they had a buyer who seemed lured by the $30,000 asking price for the spanking new Suburban that generally retails for closer to $70,000.
Kyle Whitlow, 28, thought things seemed a little suspicious when he was told by the thieves to bring $30,000 in cash to a nearby McDonlads parking lot and the vehicle would be his. When Whitlow arrived at the McDonalds, he gave them two young men the money and then just watched as they drove off without even looking at or counting the money. Whitlow, apparently, just shrugged and continued to go about his day thinking he got one heck of a great deal.
Trouble surfaced, however, when Whitlow went to try and register the vehicle. He was informed by the local registry of motor vehicles that the Suburban belonged to Enterprise Rent a Car. While Whitlow was not exceptionally suspicious, he just shrugged it off to a typical Craigslist kind of a deal until the two thieves drove off without counting the money.
Apparently, Whitow had been caught up in a crime spree that has reached as far as Texas. Nashville Airport police reported that two Houston men, ages 22 and 20, apparently took a flight from Houston to Nashville, rented the Suburban with stolen credit cards and fake drivers licenses, posted the deal on Craigslist, waited, and then made a run for it. After originally renting it from Enterprise, the two Texas car thieves outfitted it with a stolen plate and created forged papers that made it look like they actually owned the vehicle.
After the exchange, it is believed the thieves took the next flight out to Houston and law enforcement states that the two are still on the run. Rental car theft has seen a huge surge in Houston according to police. Whitlow and the airport cops returned the new Suburban SUV to the Enterprise lot later in the day. The police informed Whitlow that he was out the $30,000 and that it was unlikely he would ever see it again.