A Missouri man who used a stolen car to trade for a pickup truck pled guilty to theft of property charges against him in Baxter County Circuit Court last Monday.
Twenty-nine-year-old Dale Louis Groth, Jr., who lists an address in Cassville, was sentenced to five years-probation and ordered to pay $3,000 in victim restitution.
Groth is accused of swapping a 2022 Dodge Charger for a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado early last year. According to the probable cause affidavit, the swap took place on the parking lot of a Mountain Home business.
The owner of the truck said after the swap, he made numerous unsuccessful attempts to obtain a title for the Charger from Groth. He said eventually Groth would not answer telephone calls or text messages and blocked the victim on various social media outlets.
When the victim attempted to register the Charger himself, he was told the vehicle was listed as a rental car that Groth reported had been stolen from him in Monett, Missouri.
After being informed about the Charger’s status, the victim notified the Mountain Home Police Department.
Several cases have been opened on Groth in Missouri, according to electronic court records, most stem from traffic offenses. At one point he was sentenced to 60-months-probation on a forgery charge.
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