A 2000 Mercedes-Benz M-Class ML320 is being auctioned off by the Fayette County Sheriff’s’s Office (FCSO) on govdeals.com — the sixth car this month to be auctioned off by the FCSO, according to Captain Ryan McFarland.
Most of the cars auctioned by the sheriff’s office have been seized for their connection to crimes, according to McFarland, but abandoned property is also sometimes auctioned by the sheriff’s office if an owner cannot be located.
The Mercedes was involved in the robbery of $37,734.70 worth of fireworks from Phantom Fireworks in the summer of 2016. The fireworks were stolen by Daniel J. Forsythe, Brittany N. Messer, and Richard David Coverdale, according to records. Coverdale was convicted on Sept. 21, 2017; Messer was convicted Oct. 31, 2017; and Forsythe was convicted Feb. 27, 2018.
The Mercedes was spotted on surveillance video footage of the crime, and was later found by authorities and seized.
The car is being sold as is, without keys and with a dead battery. It will be sold to the highest bidder at the end of the auction.
The money brought in by the auction will be split between the sheriff’s office and the Fayette County Prosecutor’s Office and placed in a law enforcement trust fund. Money from this trust fund is used to meet a variety of needs in the sheriff’s office, according to McFarland.
Govdeals.com is the marketplace of choice for many government agencies that are permitted to sell surplus and confiscated items via the Internet. There is a wide variety of items auctioned on govdeals.com every day. Visitors to the site can find everything from agriculture equipment to firetrucks to art, and just about everything in between. Most of the items on the site are sold as they are, and it is the sole responsibility of the purchaser to arrange for their transport and to address any possible defects.
