Police Blotter

Want to get a 2008 Impreza for a steal? Here’s a scratch your head story from Dealers Edge, a trade publication I enjoy reading.

After hiring 20-year-old Benjamin Hammac as a sales trainee, Bennington Subaru’s sales manager (Bennington VT) had him study the Subaru products. On his second day at the dealership he was given a product knowledge written test. Obviously having difficulty with the test, Hammac asks for a break, goes outside and never comes back.

Apparently after learning that selling Subaru’s might not be his life calling, the green-pea salesman walked of the dealership to seek his fortune in some other venture. Well, maybe “walked off” is not the proper term.

It appears that he drove off in a new 2008 Impreza reportedly valued at $18,000, along with one of the dealership’s dealer license plates. The sales manager realized that the sales trainee was missing right away when he did not return from his break. It was five days before the missing car and dealer plate was discovered.

Five days after disappearing, the dealership was contacted by someone in Massachusetts telling them that someone was trying to sell one of their vehicles in the neighboring state. At this point the police were contacted.

The report appearing in the Rutland Vermont Herald, indicates that on day seven the Bennington VT police were contacted by the police in New Haven CT, with news that the vehicle had been recovered while being driven by three youths in their state.

Hammac contacted Bennington police, also on day seven, denying that he took the car. Apparently Hammac was calling from New Haven and when questioned about how he got there, he told the police that he took a bus.

Eventually, Hammac admitted taking the car, but claimed that he intended to return the “borrowed” vehicle, when someone else stole it from him in Connecticut. Hammac was charged with felony aggravated operation of a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent.

The question of bail was raised. With some concern that Hammac might flee the jurisdiction- prosecutors questioning if the accused had strong ties to the community. His public defender trying to demonstrate a link to Bennington cited a scheduled job interview this past Tuesday. One would hope it is not with another local dealership.

During the initial court proceedings it was discovered that this is not Hammac’s first brush with the law, reportedly failing to appear in New York court and under sentence in Connecticut for some other crime. It would appear that if a through background check had been conducted, the dealership could have avoided the bad hire and all the resulting fallout.