A Flippin man is accused of renting a vehicle from a local business and keeping it longer than allowed. Forty-three-year-old Jacob Yancey was booked into the Baxter County Detention Center Thursday as he faces felony counts of theft of property and second-degree criminal mischief.
According to the probable cause affidavit, a Baxter County deputy responded July 25 to the business on Arkansas Highway 5 North. The owner claimed he originally rented a vehicle to Yancey on June 14 for a two-day period. The rental was later renewed and paid through July 18, but neither the owner nor his employees had contact with Yancey since. In addition, the vehicle’s tags had since expired, and the owner said he can only legally authorize a rental contract for 30 days.
The case was originally assigned to a Baxter County investigator who spoke with Yancey by phone July 26. Yancey reportedly said he would return the vehicle by 11 that morning, and a be on the lookout advisory was issued for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
The case was reassigned to another investigator later that day. The next day, the owner stated the vehicle had not been returned, and the vehicle was entered in the Arkansas Crime Information Center as stolen.
Later in the afternoon, the investigator was advised a Gassville officer was with the vehicle at a residence in the city. The investigator arrived and discovered the vehicle had over $5,000 worth of damage to the front end and interior. The damage was not reported to the owner.
The investigator met with the driver, who claimed Yancey had asked her to return the vehicle the previous day. She reportedly was unable to give a reasonable explanation why she was driving the vehicle. Its value at the time of the rental was estimated at $18,000.
Yancey’s bond is set at $25,000.
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