Jasonville man accused of theft for failing to return a borrowed car

A Jasonville man was arrested yesterday on a charge of felony theft for allegedly failing to return a car that another Jasonville man let him borrow back in December.

Mark Andrew Irons

Mark Andrew Irons, 31, Jasonville, was arrested by Deputy Andrew Weeks of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department yesterday/Tuesday, February 16, on a warrant that was issued for the arrest of Irons as a result of an investigation by Sgt. Brian Pilant of the Jasonville Police Department.

On December 26, a Jasonville man called the Jasonville Police Department to report a theft. He said Mark Irons had his car and had not brought it back. When Sgt. Pilant talked to the man, he learned the man had loaned the car to Irons.

On January 9, at a time when Irons was incarcerated in the Greene County Jail, Sgt. Pilant interviewed Irons who denied he had the car and said he never had the car because he didn’t have a driver’s license. The car was a 2003 brown Buick Regal.

After talking to Irons, Sgt. Pilant interviewed the owner of the car who admitted he did loan the car to Irons but Irons refused to return it. The owner also said Irons had called him collect from the jail before Sgt. Pilant got there to interview Irons.

The call made by Irons was recorded and when Sgt. Pilant listened to the recording, he heard Irons telling the owner to tell the police he doesn’t know anything and to not go to the jail to talk to him. The owner told Irons he did not want him to go to prison, he just wanted his car back. Sgt. Pilant also learned that Irons said the car was at a residence in Terre Haute.

When Sgt. Pilant made contact with the resident in Terre Haute, she allegedly said Irons did show up in a brown Buick car that was muddy. She said he washed it off with her garden hose. She said Irons then left and was dropped back off the next day but at that time, he did not have the car. Then a family member of Irons showed up and picked him up.

When Sgt. Pilant talked to the family member who allegedly had picked Irons up, they said they knew nothing and they did not pick him up in Terre Haute.

A criminal case was filed against Irons in early February and a warrant issued for his arrest. He was booked into the Greene County Jail at 5:08 p.m. yesterday with bond set at $4,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. Irons posted $400 and was released later the same day.

Irons is scheduled to appear in Greene Superior Court on February 28 for his initial hearing on a charge of theft where the value of the property is between $750 and $50,000, a Level 6 felony.