For one El Paso driver, dropping off a car for repairs turned into a nightmare when the vehicle allegedly vanished in the middle of a dispute with the body shop. Police say the customer paid several thousand dollars for repair and paint work, only to find the car unfinished and, eventually, the entire business gone from its Dyer Street location without returning the vehicle.
Arrests and Alleged Charges
The El Paso Police Department’s Auto Theft Task Force, working with the Texas Department of Public Safety, tracked the case to two suspects. Investigators arrested 42-year-old Emmanuel Cervantes and 23-year-old Gema Fernanda Garcia in connection with the missing vehicle.
Cervantes is facing a long list of alleged offenses: deceptive business practices with a previous conviction, insurance fraud tied to $150,000 to $300,000 in claimed losses, failure to identify as a fugitive and providing false information, and theft of property valued between $2,500 and $30,000. Garcia was booked on a theft charge in that same dollar range…..