What is the name of your state?Texas
I worked for a car dealership for 6 years in Texas. On July 24,2004
the general mgr came to my office and said that thousands of dollars
had been stolen 2 nights prior to this.I was a Sales and Service manager
at that time and happened to be the last one there that evening.He questioned me as to if I had seen anyone go upstairs and I had not.Later
that day,he came back and told me I had 1 of 2 options.Admit I stole this money and return it and be fired or keep denying it and I would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.I was in shock as they have 20 cameras in the dealership and I told him to review the tape as I wasnt any
where near where this supposedly happened.I offered to take a lie detector
test,pay for it and be reimbursed when it cleared me.He said this was not an option. A detective called me and acted like he was my friend,said there was a misunderstanding and asked me to give a statement to clear it up.I asked an attorney if this was what I should do and she advised me no.I called him back and told him exactly what I was advised to say which was I am not trying to be rude but I can only hurt my position by being led into word traps in an interregation.I said if you would like to charge me with a crime,I will come in and you can speak with my attorney about this.I never heard back.
In may,before I was fired, my mother had an accident in a vehicle she purchased from this dealership and there was a fight between ins. companies as to whether or not the car should be totaled or fixed.The used car director
told me I could put my mother in a loaner car until the issue was resolved as I had worked there 6 years,this is not an uncommon practice.When I was fired, as the general manager escorted me to my vehicle,he asked me if I had any customers in a loaner vehicle.A technician was helping me carry my personal effects out and I told the G.M that a customer who's car was in service was in a loaner car and my mother who's car was wrecked was in a loaner car and the Used car director ok'd this.He said that is fine.Two weeks ago,my mom and her boyfriend were at their credit union when a police officer observed one of the tags was out.My mom told him it was a loaner car and he called the dealership.After about 2 hours of waiting,the manager who terminated me showed up insisting this was a stolen car.The officers on site told him it was not reported stolen and there was nothing they could do.The officers came back and told my mom the dealership was going to be magnanimous about this and let them go home.3 weeks later,the same detective who initially questioned me and was not even present at the credit union called my mom and told her he was going to get an arrest warrant for her and her boyfriend for possession of stolen property and asked for me to call him.When I called him he was very abrasive and told me that if I was innocent,I would have come in in July and given a statement.I argued that it is my constitutional right to obtain the counsel of an attorney and didn't care what he thought about that.He then tried to bait me into coming in by saying he wasn't going to talk about this over the phone with me and threatened my mom saying he was going to arrest her and it was my fault.Can they do this and is this at all legal?
Thank You,
RickyD.
I worked for a car dealership for 6 years in Texas. On July 24,2004
the general mgr came to my office and said that thousands of dollars
had been stolen 2 nights prior to this.I was a Sales and Service manager
at that time and happened to be the last one there that evening.He questioned me as to if I had seen anyone go upstairs and I had not.Later
that day,he came back and told me I had 1 of 2 options.Admit I stole this money and return it and be fired or keep denying it and I would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.I was in shock as they have 20 cameras in the dealership and I told him to review the tape as I wasnt any
where near where this supposedly happened.I offered to take a lie detector
test,pay for it and be reimbursed when it cleared me.He said this was not an option. A detective called me and acted like he was my friend,said there was a misunderstanding and asked me to give a statement to clear it up.I asked an attorney if this was what I should do and she advised me no.I called him back and told him exactly what I was advised to say which was I am not trying to be rude but I can only hurt my position by being led into word traps in an interregation.I said if you would like to charge me with a crime,I will come in and you can speak with my attorney about this.I never heard back.
In may,before I was fired, my mother had an accident in a vehicle she purchased from this dealership and there was a fight between ins. companies as to whether or not the car should be totaled or fixed.The used car director
told me I could put my mother in a loaner car until the issue was resolved as I had worked there 6 years,this is not an uncommon practice.When I was fired, as the general manager escorted me to my vehicle,he asked me if I had any customers in a loaner vehicle.A technician was helping me carry my personal effects out and I told the G.M that a customer who's car was in service was in a loaner car and my mother who's car was wrecked was in a loaner car and the Used car director ok'd this.He said that is fine.Two weeks ago,my mom and her boyfriend were at their credit union when a police officer observed one of the tags was out.My mom told him it was a loaner car and he called the dealership.After about 2 hours of waiting,the manager who terminated me showed up insisting this was a stolen car.The officers on site told him it was not reported stolen and there was nothing they could do.The officers came back and told my mom the dealership was going to be magnanimous about this and let them go home.3 weeks later,the same detective who initially questioned me and was not even present at the credit union called my mom and told her he was going to get an arrest warrant for her and her boyfriend for possession of stolen property and asked for me to call him.When I called him he was very abrasive and told me that if I was innocent,I would have come in in July and given a statement.I argued that it is my constitutional right to obtain the counsel of an attorney and didn't care what he thought about that.He then tried to bait me into coming in by saying he wasn't going to talk about this over the phone with me and threatened my mom saying he was going to arrest her and it was my fault.Can they do this and is this at all legal?
Thank You,
RickyD.
