Title Department Manager Mindi Mitchell alongside Deputy Clerk Jessica Brown and Allen County Clerk of Courts Jennifer McBride at the Allen County Bureau of Motor Vehicles Thursday morning.
LIMA — Everything hidden must come to light, including vehicle theft. Fortunately in Allen County, the county title department is on the lookout, with one employee recently awarded for her due diligence.
On Thursday morning, a deputy clerk received the Buckeye Award from the Ohio BMV. In May, a subject was taken into custody after attempting to complete a fraudulent transfer.
“A customer came in with a title to present and transfer a 2022 Cadillac Escalade,” Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles Investigator Sean Rizor said. “The clerk noticed the title appeared to be stolen. The title was then conveyed to the manager. They made a team effort to make contact with me. We were able to determine the vehicle was not what it was supposed to be.
“The Ohio State Highway Patrol responded and intercepted the suspect or suspects in the vehicle — the suspects were arrested the vehicle was identified as a stolen vehicle out of another state. The case is now pending before the Allen County Common Pleas Court.”
Deputy Clerk Jessica Brown was reportedly only working at the title department in Allen County for just a few short months. While processing the title, she noticed the title was from a list of ‘stolen Michigan titles’ and then notified her manager, Mindi Mitchell.
“I think that it’s really awesome that we actually pay attention and we know what we’re looking for when we find things,” Brown said. “That specific day, it was great that we were able to keep the suspect in our department before the police were able to arrive to apprehend him.”
The bureau also said this was the first one caught in Allen County.
“This award comes from our agency to title employees as well as BMV employees,” Rizor said. “Any time they detect any kind of fraud, we submit their names to be recognized.”
Reach Precious Grundy at 567-242-0351.
