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First, this is my short story of my current situation.
I'm 24, been out of highschool since 2011.
Around June last year, i had an old highschool friend, who i was really close with, message me on Facebook asking for a ride to the local Uhaul. We haven't really talked or hung out much since highschool, but I was just being nice. I waited until it was kind of late that day, but I did pick him up.
Halfway to the Uhaul, he said that he had left his license home, and asked if he could give me the money and have me purchase the truck for him. I told him "Sure, just make sure you get your license when you get home, and take the truck back tomorrow." He told me he only needed it for one day as he was just moving in with his girlfriend, and that he would return the truck tomorrow.
He gave me the $80 deposit for a Uhaul pickup truck, and I paid for it using my debit card(they only accept cards of course) They ask for your license (I used mine of course), an address and a phone number. I used both the address and phone number that he had given me. Granted, we haven't seen much of eachother since high school, so I didn't even have his phone number or address personally as he had moved out of his parents' place and gotten a new phone/s since the last time we spoke.
I gave him the key to the truck when I was finished and once again made sure that he was returning the truck the following day. He assured me that he was. I trusted that he would, so I just went home and went about my business. Now, this entire time, I still had the old debit card without the "chip" on them. Three days after this, my bank, sent my new "chip" card in the mail. Once I received it, I went and got it activated, which made the card I used at Uhaul invalid. Of course, I still didn't think much of it, because my "friend" was supposed to have returned the truck two days ago, right?
To Be Continued//
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Part II
Here's where things get bad. About three months later, which would be September (my birth month infact), I find from my wife that he was arrested. Charges were possession of marijuana. I didn't think much of it on my behalf. I figured if he had gotten pulled over and arrested in a Uhaul, then the truck must have been returned or something..? Then later on in the month, around 5 a.m, the police came and arrested right out of my home. I complied with them the entire time, because at that point I knew why I was being arrested. My charge was Theft By Conversion.
I spend almost two days in jail, until my dad and my wife bailed me out. My "friend" was also bailed out shortly before I was. Afterwards, I find out his family was aggressively trying to get into contact with me, basically blaming me for his arrest, which I had not known about. My wife visited the Uhaul while I was in jail and got all of the information on the truck that we rented. I don't have the papers with me at the moment, but this is off memory. The Truck was kept for exactly 40 days, was damaged, had an empty tank of gas, and if I remember correctly, over 600 miles were added to it. Could be more, could be less, I can't remember. Point is, he was only supposed to have the truck for ONE day.
I messaged him on Facebook, which is my only way of getting in contact with him, and repeatedly questioned him on why he had the truck for so long, when he specifically stated he only needed it for one day. He dodges the question He gets defensive. He tries to place blame on me about my card being different, which IS a valid point, but also an inconvenient coincidence. Truth is, if he had not kept the truck for more than he stated, than my card being changed would not be an issue. If my card HADN'T been changed, then I would have been charged $240 for every single one of those 40 days that he kept the truck. So either way, I would have been screwed
To Be Continued//
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Part III
He continues to dodge my questions. I ask him what could he have possibly been doing with a Uhaul Pickup Truck for 40 days? How could he have possibly added that many miles to the vehicle? Why was the gas tank practically empty when it was returned? Why was it damaged? He says that all of those questions are irrelevant. At this point, I got angry and pretty much told him that he was wrong for keeping the truck for that long, not contacting me in ANY way, and taking advantage of my kindness, and I blocked him on Facebook so I wouldn't have to deal with him anymore. I took a screenshot of every single message we shared from the day he asked about the truck until now, for evidence. I have a court date in June this year.
My question is, what should I do? Will I be okay defending myself with the evidence I have, being his self-incriminating messages that I screenshot? Or should I get a lawyer? I'm a bit hesitant because lawyers are expensive
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obligatory "you're an idiot"
Lawyer here. I wouldn't worry about the theft charge sticking, but you'll be needing an attorney to deal with this shit, 100%. Great job on saving all that evidence from your friend (bless you facebook/text, I always tell my clients to get everything in writing). I would be more concerned about being on the hook for the $$$, which you probably are since you are the one that rented the truck and let your friend use it and lied to the rental company that this is what you would be doing. You would probably be able to recoup the money from your friend in a civil suit, but for some reason I think he's not going to pay you and garnishment can be a bitch.
Lesson here isn't "don't help people", it's "don't put yourself in a situation to be taken advantage of".
And again - go see a lawyer.
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Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely go see a lawyer now. Definitely don't want or need to be in jail.
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>>18161733
A lawyer telling your story should be able to get you off any criminal charge.
You MIGHT be able to talk UHaul into cutting down on their bill, but they don't have to. You signed for the truck and you are responsible for it.
Chances are you'll have to pay UHaul and then sue your friend in small claims court to be reimbursed. But of course he won't have any money or assets for you to sieze, so a victory in court won't amount to much.
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