SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A Seminole County woman claims a criminal took her vehicle while she was sick in the hospital and illegally put the title in his name.
Kelle Tallman Laws said there were several red flags the DMV should have caught.
Laws said she’s seen the thief driving around in her SUV after he took the vehicle and forged her signature to sign it over in his name.
The signature is dated during the time period she was in the hospital.
“They gave me a copy of the title when I went to the tag office and that’s when they realized someone there made a big mistake,” Laws said.
She said her son loaned her black 2004 Hummer to a criminal with a history of drug arrests and that the man took the SUV's title out of the glove box and allegedly forged Laws’ signature, making him the new owner of her SUV before she even knew it was gone.
She later reported the incident to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the case as title fraud.
“I was told that my Hummer was located and that I was no longer the owner of the Hummer,” Laws said.
A Sheriff’s Office report said deputies could not enter the SUV as stolen because Laws was not listed as the owner.
Channel 9’s Kimberly Eiten asked the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles if it’s investigating, but a spokesperson could not answer that question.
Laws showed Eiten the copy of the title transfer she received from the Seminole County tag office with someone else’s signature.
Laws pointed out how drastically different her signature if from the alleged forged signature.
She said it’s a discrepancy the DMV worker should have caught.
“How could this happen? If it could happen to me, it could happen to anybody,” Laws said.
On the paperwork, the car was “gifted,” something that is legal in Florida.
But guidelines said there must be a bill of sale or an affidavit, neither of which happened in this case.
Laws said she is considering a civil suit against the state.
Cox Media Group
