Dead Man's ID Used In U-Haul Theft

A Dillsboro man allegedly used the ID of a man who had been dead for five years.

Photo by Mike Mozart, Flickr

(Dillsboro, Ind.) - A Dillsboro man is accused of using a dead man's ID in order to rent and then not return a U-Haul truck.

Dearborn County Sheriff's deputies say Christopher M. Sartin, 36, used the ID of a dead man in order to rent the 14-foot box truck from the Dillsboro IGA last April 12. The IGA owner called police when the truck was not returned by April 25.

Deputies looked up the name under which the truck was rented under. They went to that person’s former employer, a Lawrenceburg automobile dealership, only to learn that the individual had died five years earlier.

Eventually, officers determined it was Sartin who had rented the truck and failed to return it. A U-Haul representative who met with Sartin when he allegedly rented the truck identified him from a photograph lineup.

Deputies attempted to arrange an interview with Sartin, but he did not contact them back.

Sartin is charged with Identity Deception (level 6 felony), Forgery (level 6 felony), Theft Value $750-$50,000 (level 6 felony), and Theft (class A misdemeanor).

As of Monday, Sartin remains held in jail at the Dearborn County Law Enforcement Center on a bond of $5,000 cash and $10,000 surety. A jury trial is scheduled for November 13 in Dearborn Superior Court I.