(KIWA Staff Photo)Sanborn, Iowa — A Worthington man has been arrested on felony theft charges after an incident in Sanborn.
A criminal complaint filed by the Bureau of Investigation & Identity Protection in district court accuses 25-year-old Orlando Bardales Hernandez of selling a stolen vehicle in Sanborn. He was arrested on Tuesday. The Bureau of Investigation & Identity Protection is an investigative unit of the Iowa Department of Transportation that handles vehicle fraud, driver’s license fraud, and related identity theft.
In his statement, the agent says that in April, Bardales Hernandez sold a stolen vehicle to a private party at the Dollar General in Sanborn, purporting to be the son of the registered owner. The GMC Sierra had been reported stolen from Texas. Bardales Hernandez’s testimony was that his sister purchased the vehicle from an individual in Kansas City, but didn’t obtain the title because they didn’t want to fix a transmission issue with the vehicle.
Bardales Hernandez was charged with two counts of first-degree theft, a class C felony. If convicted, he could face up to ten years in prison on each charge. He also faces misdemeanor charges of driving without owner’s consent and two counts of fraudulent practice (due to alleged failure to provide an odometer statement and a damage disclosure).
A preliminary hearing in the case is set for September 21st.
At last report, Bardales Hernandez remained in the O’Brien County Jail in Primghar in lieu of bond.
