LAKELAND, Tenn. — A repo man faces several charges after the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office says he dragged a man who tried to stop him from taking his car and sideswiped another vehicle.
It happened late Sunday night outside the Super 8 Motel in the 9700 block of Huff N Puff Road in Lakeland.
Anthony Bent, 34, was charged with reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of an accident involving an injury, and driving with a suspended or revoked license. Deputies said Bent’s license was revoked due to multiple convictions.
The victim said he heard a noise outside his room at the Super 8 and saw Bent sitting in the driver’s seat of his 2015 Ford Fusion. The victim, who didn’t want to be identified, approached Bent and asked what he was doing. He said Bent told him it was a repo but said it appeared Bent was stealing his car.
“I asked him, ‘Where is the paperwork if it’s a repo?’ He said his brother has it,” said the victim. “As I’m telling him that, another car he came in pulled right in front of my car. She got out hollering, ‘Yes, it’s a repo.’ I said, ‘Where are the papers?’ and she said she was going to call the police. I told her, ‘Fine, call the police.'”
The victim said he struggled with Bent, and Bent placed the vehicle in drive, pinning him and partially dragging him against another vehicle. He suffered minor injuries to his shoulder and hip.
“I was in between the door of the driver’s side of my car. So when he drove off, he slammed the car into another car. So I was caught in between the door,” said the victim. “So he collided with the car and dragged me a little bit.”
Deputies said Bent used a screwdriver to enter the vehicle and did not let the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office know ahead of time he was doing a repossession.
Investigators said the Ford Fusion was leased from No Worries Automotive Group, and JR Towing was hired to repossess the vehicle.
“When I talked to the owner of No Worries Automotive, he told me I was two weeks behind,” said the victim. “It was Thursday, maybe. I told them I would bring in the payment Monday, and he said okay, that’s fine.”
WREG contacted No Worries Automotive Group for a comment about the incident, but we have not heard back from anyone from the company.
A man who answered the phone at JR Towing but did not identify himself said the situation was blown out of proportion. He said Bent drove off because the victim was aggressive, and Bent was worried about his safety.
He said Bent had a key for the Ford Fusion and used the screwdriver to remove a plastic panel on the outside of the vehicle to expose the lock.
When asked if he knew Bent had a revoked license, the man said Bent was not one of his employees. He said Bent was a subcontractor, and he didn’t know his license had been revoked.
“He didn’t even have a license to be driving my car,” the victim said.
Bent was released from jail on a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to go before a judge on Wednesday.