Big Trouble at Unique Performance
By now, this isn’t breaking news, but I just heard it. I thought I kept up with hot rod and general car news, but I guess not. On top of that, I’m a big fan of Chip Foose. There are several good blogs that are writing about this story. Basically, Unique Performance has been busted and raided. Check it out:
Shelby severing ties with Unique Performance
Round 2: Unique Performance fires back at Shelby
Foose Cuts All Ties With Unique Performance
Unique Performance raided by local police
What a mess! Uniqueperformance.com website is DOWN…
I’ll try to update this story as I follow it. I hope Foose’s name is cleared. Everything I’ve seen or read says he’s a solid guy.
The NY Times added this: A Cloud Over Reborn Shelby Mustangs
Look what I found digging through some court docs on the Unique Performance Vehicle Seizure, no wonder they canned the head detective on the case.
The whole mess with customer cars being seized was caused by insinuations from John Luft and a truck driver?
AFFIDAVIT FOR SEARCH WARRANT
THE STATE OF TEXAS [338 DESVOIGNES RD]
COUNTY OF GRAYSON [Denison, Grayson County, Texas]
The undersigned Affiant, being a Peace Officer under the laws of Texas and being duly sworn, on oath makes the following statements and accusations:
1. There is in Grayson County, Texas, a suspected place and premises described and located as follows: A barn, located at 338 Desvoignes Road, Denison, Grayson County Texas. The barn is red with white trim. There is a white picket fence around the barn. There are three barns on the property and the barn in question is the second one from the residence. According to Grayson Central Appraisal District the property is listed as Property lD 113345 (Real), Geo lD 074 1311010, G-1311 WRIGHT WILLIAM A-G1311.
2. There is at said suspected place implements or instruments used in the commission of a crime and,/or property or items constituting an offense or constituting evidence tending to show that a particular person committed an offense, to wit: Titling records, sales records, customer files, vehicles with incorrect VIN numbers and any other document or instrument used to facilitate fraudulent activity.
3. Said suspected place and premises are in charge of and controlled by each of the following persons: Linda Davis, owner as listed on Grayson County tax rolls.
4. It is the belief of Affiant, and he hereby charges and accuses that:
On or about the 2nd day of October 2007,at 13950 Senlac D rive Suite# 300, Farmers Branch, Dallas County, Texas, Unique Performance was found to be in possession of a red 1967 Ford Mustang fastback bearing VIN 7F01C216874. Said VIN belongs to a 1967 Ford Mustang hardtop and did not belong to the car in which it was assigned. During an investigation into this vehicle, Douglas Hasty, the owner of Unique Performance, ordered that it be removed from the shop and concealed on private property in Denison. Texas.
5. Affiant has probable cause for said belief by reason of the following facts: On October 2nd 2007 Farmers Branch Police contacted Douglas Hasty with Unique Performance in reference to a complaint that his company was not returning a customer vehicle. The customer had provided a faxed copy of the title to his vehicle. When Douglas Hasty showed this defective the vehicle in question, t he VIN number (7F01C16874) did not match the VIN number on the title issued to the customer (7F02C127565). On a 1967 Mustang VlN, the 3rd and 4th character of 01 means that the vehicle is a hardtop. If the 3rd and 4th character of the VIN is an 02, then the vehicle is a fastback. This model information was verified using http://www.decodethis.com and the validity of the information was verified by Sgt. Rex Wilemon of the Texas Department of Public Safety Since the fastback vehicle in question is bearing the VIN to a hardtop, it is displaying an altered identification number. Douglas Hasty initially stated that they had replaced the front clip of the vehicle. To do so without a TXDOT formVTR-68A (law enforcement vehicle inspection form) is a violation of section 31.11 of the Texas Penal Code regarding Tampering with Identification Numbers. A TXDOT title history of this vehicle revealed that no such form had been filed by Unique Performance. When informed of the potential violation Douglas Hasty stated that the wrong title had been issued to the owner and that the vehicle had not undergone a VlN number change. During my investigation into this event, I was contacted by John Luft, an attorney for Carroll Shelby Enterprises, informing me that he had a former employee of Unique Performance that was willing to provide information. This employee was employed by the company for approximately two years as their transport driver and was very recently laid off from Unique Performance due to budgetary restraints and the loss of the Carroll Shelby licensing. This informant states that Douglas Hasty ordered him on October 17th to haul this and two other vehicles to a barn located at a private residence located at 338 Desvoignes Road, Denison, Grayson County Texas. The informant did show this detective where this residence was, to include which barn the vehicles had been located within. The informant also states that he was ordered to remove 17 additional vehicles, which he relocated to an abandoned warehouse located at 811 Betterton Circle, Dallas. He also states that he is personally aware of over 30 additional vehicles that were relocated to 11607 Denton Drive, Dallas. Additionally he states that numerous other vehicles (unknown number) were moved t o a building leased by Unique Performance at 13995 Diplomat Drive Suite # 200, Farmer Branch. The informant state that these moves were done to prevent law enforcement from locating the vehicles for inspection.
On 11/01/2007 search warrants were executed at the Betterton Circle, Senlac Drive, Diplomat Drive and Denton Drive addresses given by the informant and all of the information provided by him proved to be true and valid.
WHEREFORE, Affiant asks for issuance of a warrant that will authorize him to search said suspected place and premises for criminal evidence and seize the same.
___________________
AFFIANT
Subscribed and Sworn to before me by said Affiant on this ____ day of November 2007.
_______________________
MAGISTRATE,IN AND FOR
DALLAS COUNTY. TEXAS
Check out where Turner is hanging his hat these days, why doesn’t the media jump on this and get to the bottom of why he was really terminated from the force?
http://spacebrew.com/blog/?page_id=88
http://spacebrew.com/?p=1315
Who cares where Turner is these days? And by the way, he still works there, just taking some time away from left-wing activists trying to justify why unique performance should get away with millions. Get your facts straight before you make stupid statements. People like you keep journalists happy with uninformed knee-jerk reactions.
Turner wasn’t fired, you idiot. He took a couple months off to rest after his investigation. I saw him 2 weeks ago visiting another Shelby place just down the road from where Unique used to be.
Hey Nigel,
I would say the knee jerk reaction would be accusing a man that is worth $1.5 billion of being involved with a so called chop shop on the word of a truck driver. If you think Turner is just taking some time off I would say that you are the one making a stupid statement.
Slade,
You are the idiot, if he in fact is taking a couple months off he should be back in the saddle next week to make some more false accusations and mess up another case or two.
I know for a fact that Turner got fired.
Doug, Turner did lose his job, but it wasn’t because of this case. He was selling cosmetic products to the guys at work. They did an internal affairs on him and found him in violation of the “double dipping” rules. I hate to burst your bubble, but he dropped the ball in areas other than your case.
all of you idiots need to check your obits. turner died in a motorcycle crash over two weeks ago.
I have a friend who works for Carrollton and knew Turner. He said Turner died in late July. He said it was a car crash, not a motorcycle crash.
I appreciate the concern over my welfare, but I’m happy to report to everyone that the rumors of my termination and/or death are grossly incorrect.
Thanks,
Pete