Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a tip provided on Wednesday from a man attempting to buy a Honda CRV for sale on Facebook Marketplace who was suspicious because photos showed the vehicle identification number was smeared.
This morning, a patrol deputy spotted the car heading south on North Beal Extension north of Fort Walton Beach. A roadside investigation led to the discovery of an insurance card with the vehicle’s VIN number. That number revealed the CRV was stolen out of New York.
The attached license also had not been assigned to that vehicle. Once the driver was taken to booking, deputies began trying to confirm his identity due to getting conflicting information from him verbally versus information on a Florida driver’s license.
The driver, 27-year-old Irvin Arias Marquez, was charged with grand theft auto, license attached not assigned, driving with a suspended license habitual offender, failure to register a motor vehicle, and providing false information on a driver’s license application.
S.O. supervisors credited great teamwork between patrol deputies on nightshift and dayshift as the key in the successful recovery of the stolen car, as well as saving a resident from buying a stolen vehicle.